


Teen Wolf || Next Generation

by Dan13la



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Allucinations, Alpha Liam Dunbar, Anchors, Apocalypse, Beacon Hills, Continuation, Egyptian Mithology, End of the World, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, F/M, First Kiss, First Time, Fluff and Angst, Getting Together, Going to Hell, Good Theo Raeken, Greek Mithology - Freeform, Hunters, Hurt Theo Raeken, Implied/Referenced Sex, Liam Dunbar is Theo Raeken's Anchor, Living Together, M/M, Minor Corey Bryant/Mason Hewitt, Minor Hayden Romero/Original Male Character, Minor Isaac Lahey/Original Female Character, Minor Lydia Martin/Stiles Stilinski, Minor Nolan/Original Female Character, Minor Scott McCall/Malia Tate, New Threat, Nightmares, Protective Theo Raeken, Psychological Torture, Theo Raeken is Liam Dunbar's Anchor, Theo Raeken is Part of the Pack, Thiam, Torture, War, Werewolf Theo Raeken, Wolf Theo Raeken, liam's pack, on the road
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-02
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2019-07-23 23:43:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 131,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16169183
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Dan13la/pseuds/Dan13la
Summary: || SET AFTER 6B. (Can contain spoilers)Two months have passed since the defeat of the Anuk-ite and the retreat of the hunters led by Monroe. Scott, Stiles, Lydia and Malia left for college, and now it's up to Liam protect Beacon Hills. But Liam is not alone. It is not a true alpha yet, but he already has his own pack. He has Mason. He has Corey. He has Nolan. He has Alec, the omega that Scott has saved from Monroe a few weeks before. And then ... he has Theo. But meanwhile the pack pray to be able to get to the diploma peacefully, on the other hand they know that the balance is about to turn back towards the worst. And it's not just about hunters. Another dark threat is about to fall on Beacon Hills...English is not my language, sorry for any mistake!Mainly a Thiam, but there will also be hints of other couples ^_^





	1. Welcome back to Beacon Hills

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Every_Version_Of_Me who kindly offered to correct any mistakes in the story! ^ __ ^

It was the last night before the start of the second semester. I should be having fun, Liam thought placidly sitting on a picnic table, with a can of beer in his hand, aware that he could drink a ton without being affected at all. The worst side of being a werewolf. He looked up from the can, and watched his friends dance wildly. At least they knew how to have fun.

 

Mason and Corey were shamelessly flirting, regardless of the dozens of people around them. Nolan looked ... pretty drunk. Liam was sure of it when he jumped on one of the picnic tables that bounded the clearing in the woods where the rave was set up, and began to undress really clumsily. People laughed, someone whistled, the music echoed in the wood. Nolan's attempt ended when he took off his pants, stumbled and fell straight down from the table. Alec came up and looked at him as if he was the most interesting thing he had ever seen. "Nice boxers," he just told him, before helping him get up.

 

He dragged him to the table where Liam was.   
"I think your friend is gone," he told him, dropping Nolan beside him.  
"I really envy him right now," Liam answered, throwing away his can. Corey and Mason joined them laughing. A click later and Mason captured Nolan in a photo he knew he would be laughing about for weeks...  
"Have fun Liam, why are you so lonely tonight?" Corey asked, sitting down next to him.   
"Is it because Scott and the others?" Mason asked.  
"No ... I mean, sure, I miss them, of course! But... Stiles writes me at least ten messages a day, and Scott ... at least five an hour. I was just.. thinking ... it's our senior year. And things are going suspiciously well for a couple months now. No hunters. No strange creatures jumping out of nowhere. No deads come back to life... I'm just afraid something is about to happen... and..."  
"And what? " Corey urged him.  
Liam sighed, "I'm afraid I might not be able to be the alpha. I'm not even an alpha!"  
"You are. Liam, you has faced a thousand battles over the past two years. What you saw, what you did... It's amazing. There is nothing you can't face. There's nothing we can't face, " Mason reassured him.

 

Nolan grunted, which Liam tried to interpret as a sign of support. Alec gave him an amused look. "And anyway, what if... Maybe, everything will be all right until June! We will graduate and leave-... leave this den of supernatural creatures behind our backs," Corey remarked.  
"Once I heard Scott talk about the regression to the mean... do you know what it is?"   
"Never heard of it," Alec replied.  
"It means that everything adds up. It is the way of the universe to keep on balance. Nothing can always go well just like nothing can always go bad. Sooner or later the universe finds a way to come back to the middle," Liam replied .  
"It means that since it's been good for months, now everything must go wrong?" Alec asked. No one answered. "I'll take that as a yes. Great. It looks like you are used to it. To things going bad," he added.  
"Yes, we attract them like a magnet." Mason said with an ironic smile.  
"And the Nemeton gives us a lot of help with that," Corey added.  
"What's the Nemeton?" Alec asked.  
"It's a magical tree that serves as a beacon for supernatural creatures." Nolan's voice came from behind them. Everyone turned to look at him. He had opened his eyes and sat up. Suddenly he seemed sober. "All right, Nolan?" Corey asked him.  
"I don't know," he replied. His gaze fixed far, on the wood. "Liam is right. I think something is about to happen "

 

*

 

It was two o'clock when Liam decided to take a leave from the party. He went into his room quickly and threw himself on the bed. He looked out the window, at the moon. In two days it would be the full moon. He was already beginning to feel the effects.  
What alpha could he be, if he still couldn't even control himself on the full moon night?! Of course, it wasn't like the year before, but... He still had problems. Especially since the others had left.  
Scott, who told him that everything was fine, that he could do it. Stiles, who happily threatened to chain him back to a tree. Malia, who sincerely offered to give him her handcuffs, and Lydia, who in spite of everything, had forgiven him for having destroyed her lake house. And Theo... Theo who made him mad, Theo who punched him, Theo who saved his life.

 

A few days after Scott and the others left, Theo had also told Liam that he would leave for a while, he talked about clearing his mind and some truth he wanted to discover... And he was gone. He had said he would be back, but it had been two months. The truth is that Liam was very worried about Theo. He spoke with Scott and the others practically every day, it was almost like having them here, he was sure they were safe. But Theo...Theo he had no way to talk to him. He had no way of knowing if he was fine. What if the hunters got him?

 

Liam shook with anger the thought of Theo tied up in some basement, while he was tortured by some anonymous hunter, unable to free himself, hoping for help that would never come.

 

He turned and buried his face in the pillow and hoped to fall asleep early. For the first time, he wished that he could just close his eyes and it would  already be morning when he opened them again, going back to school and feeling like a normal teenager again. But he didn't know ... how long that night would be.

 

*  
The pick-up approached the edge of the wood. The door opened and the boy came down, looking around carefully. Those damned deputies could appear from nowhere at all times, ready to drive him away. Again.

 

Theo knew he did not have much time. He would have to be done quickly. A jump to the creek and then away. Back in Beacon Hills. Not even he knew why he wanted to come back. 'Yes, you know it very well', said a little voice inside of his head, a voice that he tried to choke quickly, trudging through the woods.

 

The creek was only a few miles from where he had parked. If he ran he could reach it in a few minutes, but he preferred to walk. He cocked his head, listening with his supernatural earing. The music he had heard half an hour earlier had disappeared. He looked the time on his phone: it was after three. Whatever party had been going on, it was over now. He was alone in the woods. 'Me and the shadow of my sister.' Theo thought, when he caught up with his super wolfy hearing the roar of the water. 'And the perennial shadow of my guilt.'

 

Since he had returned from hell, something had changed in Theo. Perhaps having his sister tearing his heart from his chest for months had served to make his human side come back. Or maybe it had been able to live again. Or maybe ... it had been watching Liam live.

 

Liam, who told him he would not save him, and instead did. Liam telling him that he would use him as bait and instead seemed relieved when he saw him safe. Liam who was ready to die to protect his friends. Liam ... to whom Theo had shouted that he wouldn't die for him, but was ready to do it for him. He had risked dying to protect him from the hunters. And he would do it again. He had suddenly realized that Liam was the only person he had ever wanted to protect. Yes, Theo had realized it, that Liam was ...

 

Theo stopped abruptly. He had reached the creek, but he wasn't alone. There was someone standing in the middle of the small river. Someone who was turned away from Theo. Water flowed around him, he was completely wet. And he stood as still as a statue. Theo's heart lost a beat and he backed away. For a moment he thought it as his sister, but then he smelled him.

 

He did not know him well. But he had talked to him a couple of times, even though it had never been friendly words. And then he... he even saved him and Liam. "Nolan?" Theo whispered. No reply. Theo took a few steps forward along the bank of the creek to be able to look at the boy's face. Nolan stood there motionless, eyes wide open and staring at some point faraway. "Nolan!" Theo called, louder.  
Just as he was about to take a step toward him, Nolan screeched. A chilling shout, that split the eardrums. Theo leaned over and covered his ears. He did not have time to think how familiar that scream was, that a dull splash made him realize that Nolan must have fainted, straight in the water. He would drown.

 

Theo ran into the water and pulled him out of the water, he was dead weight. "Hey Nolan! Wake up!! Can you hear me!?! "Theo dragged him out and for a moment he looked around to find out what to do. The hospital? Melissa? The sheriff? Who to call? Then he thought that if that was what he thought, only one person could do something. So he took Nolan on his back and ran to the pick-up, praying that the police had not already found and remorqued it.

 

*

Liam woke up . He looked at his watch and swore. Four o'clock in the morning ?! He rolled over in the bed several times, until the ringing of a phone could be heard in the room. Liam turned toward the phone. It was a message. But who could write to him at that time? It could not be any good. Liam swallowed. He was almost afraid to see.

 

He picked up the phone slowly, and as he unlocked it, he hoped with all his heart that it was some ridiculous picture sent by a drunken Nolan. 'I think something is about to happen,' But it was not Nolan. 'Come to the clinic. Right now. It's urgent.'

 

It was Deaton.

*

Liam was sure he had never run so fast before. He reached the veterinary clinic in less than ten minutes. When he opened the door, Deaton was in front of him.

"Liam don't worry!" He told him first of all.  
"What happened?" Liam asked, panting.  
"I do not think it's as serious as it seems," he replied, letting him pass so that he could enter the operating room. Nolan lay on the bed. Passed out.  
"Nolan! What happened ?! "  
" I would say he fainted "  
" Yes, I see it. How? And why is he here? "  
" This ... we should ask him,"he said, looking towards the bathroom door.

 

Theo emerged from the darkness, he was wearing clothes that Liam recognized as Scott's, and in his right hand he kept some others clothes that were dripping wet. "Liam," he only said, his expression indecipherable. He stares at him.  
"Theo!" Liam exclaimed after a moment of shock. "You're back!" And then he did something that amazed them both. He hugged him.  
"Wow, I didn't think you would have missed me so much," Theo teased.  
"You're an asshole!" Liam pulled away and punched him on the arm.  
"Ouch! You're always so coherent, little Beta," said the other, taking his other hand to where Liam had struck him. "What was this for?"  
"You've disappeared for months, without even trying to contact us. I was ... worried, you idiot! You could have been killed by hunters as much as I knew"

" It's not so easy to get rid of me, you should know that. "  
" Yeah. Obviously "  
" So ... do you want to know how Nolan and I found ourselves completely wet in the operating room of your friend Deaton? "  
Liam glared at him. "Come on. Tell me. What happened?"  
Theo related the incident. "When I got to the creek, he was standing there, still. Until ..."  
" Until? "  
" Until he shouted " Silence.  
"He shouted," Liam repeated.  
"Yes, he screeched. In that sense Liam "  
"I don't understand ... "  
"Are you telling me that you think Nolan is ... a Banshee? " Deaton asked seriously.  
Liam laughed. "A banshee? How is it possible? "  
"What's funny about it? It is not even the first time, do you remember when he told us that he had found the body of that boy killed by the Anuk-ite first? That scream is unmistakable. And so is the catatonic state in which he was. He's a banshee."  
"I thought all the banshees were women"  
Theo looked at him as if he were crazy. "Seriously?"  
"The name is feminine!"  
"Werewolf is masculine, but there are wolf-women. You should know, your girlfriend was one." Liam waved the subject aside.  
"It's okay, there's comfort in that. That mean he fainted and he'll recover right?" He looked at Deaton.  
"Yes, it will take a while. If it's the first time that he manifests such obvious powers, he will remain knocked out for a while "  
"Okay ... and it's nice to know we have a banshee back in the pack."  
"I don't think Nolan will be just as happy as you to know that he's a signal peddler of death" Theo commented . "Especially considering that until a few months ago, he was determined to exterminate all supernatural creatures"  
"He's not like that anymore. He is a friend and he is pack. He also regretted long before the defeat of the Anuk-ite and the hunters " Liam said .  
"Probably because of his nature as Banshee, if he managed to push away the fear widespread by the anuk-ite he can not be just human," Deaton added .  
"Like that, so many things add up. When we were in the hospital and Gabe died, I thought it was strange that Nolan had not been particularly shocked. Probably ... "  
"He had long felt he was going to die " Theo concluded Liam's reflection.  
"But if Nolan really is a Banshee, then the problem is seomething else. He screamed, in the wood. It means that he felt something." Deaton said.  
"Something bad," Liam whispered.  
"Maybe he felt someone died," Deaton added .  
"Or that someone is going to die," Liam concluded.  
Theo sighed and Liam turned to look at him. "Welcome back to Beacon Hills," he said ironically to himself.  
  
TO BE CONTINUED


	2. Lifeless

The following morning Liam sent a message to Mason, Alec and Corey to summon them at the school bus stop outside the Beacon Hills high school.

 

"Guys, here you are" Liam was the last to get there.

 

"Did something happen?" Mason asked.

 

Corey looked around "Where's Nolan?" he asked, suspicious.

 

"Yeah, I have something to tell you about him." Liam could smell the tension rising, the sound of the holding breaths of all three.

 

"What happened?" Mason asked seriously.

 

"Is he having alcohol poisoning?" Alec asked.

 

Liam looked at him. "Almost." Mason and Corey looked at each other.

 

"Last night Theo found him standing in the middle of the creek completely wet," Liam thought to go step by step.

 

"Theo ?!" Corey and Mason exclaimed in chorus. "Since when is he back?" Mason asked.

 

"About ..." Liam looked at his watch "... 5 hours"

 

"Wait wait," Alec exclaimed with his hands forward, as if to stop the conversation "I ddon't know who Theo is, you will have to tell me about him after I hear the story of a drunken Nolan taking a bath in the woods in the middle of the night."

 

"It's not that simple," Liam said. "Apparently, our Nolan ... i know it's hard to believe, but he is a Banshee"

 

Only Alec showed himself surprised. "What's a Banshee?" He asked.

 

Mason looked at Corey "I had some suspicions"

 

Liam rolled his eyes "Seriously ?! No one is surprised that a boy is a Banshee ?!"

 

"Is this what startles you after all we've seen?" Corey asked him, looking at him.

 

"So when Nolan said last night that he felt something was going to happen ..." Mason began.

 

"Likely"

 

"So it was in the woods because there's..."

 

"Likely"

 

"And so we have to ..."

 

"Likely"

 

Alec looked from Liam to Mason.

 

"Alec didn't understand anything" Corey said.

 

"Likely ," he said.

 

"Okay" Mason put a hand around his shoulders "I'll explain the story of the dead and the voices in the head and the mysterious writing in the math notebooks while we go to biology. Then at lunch break I'll tell you about the psychopath chimera that killed his sister and dismantled Scott's pack "

 

"Cool" exclaimed Alec.

 

*

 

Lisa jumped off the school bus in a rush and looked around. She had always hated new beginnings. Despite being a girl who settled easily, she was always stressed to have to start all over again every time. My name is Lisa Taylor, I'm 18, I'm on my senior year, and I moved here from New York because my parents are dead I now live with my aunt. The speech that was prepared repeated itself in her head. Perhaps it was better to avoid the depressing part about her parents. It was not a good way to start a conversation.

 

"..alcohol poisining?" She caught these words as she passed a group of four particularly agitated boys. She held a smile. "Last night, Theo has .."

 

Theo? Lisa jumped at that name. She turned to look at them. Theo ... She was confused. She didn't know any Theo. She was sure of it. Why had she reacted that way by hearing that name? Uh ... Maybe it was just a trick of her mind. She had never been to Beacon Hills. And who knows how many Theo existed in the world. She turned and continued her way toward the school, without thinking any further.

 

*

 

Theo entered the high-school parking lot and stopped his car in the first free spot. He got out, with his bag on his right shoulder. He had decided to live, right? The first step was to get a diploma and for that he needed to explain why he had disappeared for almost a year. Easy, the most easiest thing in the world. He took a deep breath to gather courage and entered. There was no one outside the principal's office, but the door was locked, so he sat in one of the chairs outside. He pulled out his cell phone, and thought he wanted to know about Nolan, he had no way to contact Liam. 'I have to aks him his phone number.' He told himself. It was almost ridiculous that they had almost killed themselves, and then saved each other's lives several times, but they had never exchanged numbers. At that moment a blonde girl came in and sat down in front of him. Theo observed her. She seemed nervous. It was probably her first day. At least she ddoesn't have to explain that she was in hell and then miraculously got pulled out of it by a magic sword. Theo, staring at her, was beginning to envy the tranquility of a mortal life, when she looked up and met his gaze.

 

"First day for you too?" she asked him.

 

"Something like that," answered Theo.

 

"Are you in the last year?"

 

"Yes, you too?"

 

"Yes ... I'm .. I'm Lisa, Lisa Taylor, I just moved from New York."

 

"Cool, I am-" Theo started to bid her his hand, but at that moment the door of the principal's office opened.

 

"Taylor?"

 

Lisa stood up "Here I am"

 

"Come on in"

 

The principal looked at Theo for a moment "I'll see you after. "

 

 

*

 

At lunchtime, They sat aside to speak freely. Since their true nature had been, more or less, exposed, everyone had became particularly curious about their conversations.

 

"Deaton text me. Nolan woke up, but he decided to keep him under observation at the clinic until tonight," said Liam.

 

"Well, anyway Deaton will check the wood later, he wants to be sure everything is okay"

 

"Do you believe someone died?" Alec asked. No one answered. "Well, I think I'll go see how Nolan is doing after school, I do not want to miss the next time he takes a bath naked in the woods"

 

"He wasn't naked."

 

"Ahh well ... I think I'll go to-" Liam said

 

"Theo," Mason interrupted.

 

"No, why should I go to Theo?" Liam immediately exclaimed.

 

"No, I meant there's Theo, and he's coming this way." Liam whirled around. It was true. Theo was there. Shoulder bag and lunch in hand. He stopped in front of them.

 

"Hi guys" he said "Can I sit with you?"

 

Mason and Corey looked at each other. "Theo ... What ...?" Liam began.

 

Alec took the situation in his hands. "Of course you can sit down, can't he, guys?"

 

"Sure, sit down," Liam said. Silence fell.

 

Alec moved his eyes from one to the other. "So ..." he said, trying to start a conversation. "So you ... come from Hell?" he asked with surprisingly naturalness.

 

Liam slapped a hand over his eyes. Theo looked at him amused.

 

"Okaaay," said Mason. "Let's rewind this conversation, please." Corey laughed.

 

"Theo, it's nice to see you again." he said then.

 

"You too"

 

"Did you sign up again at school?" Liam asked him.

 

"Yes, I thought I should graduate, after all, I only missed a few months of the last year"

 

"So you'll be in class with us?" Mason asked him.

 

"Yep"

 

"What did you tell the principal about the fact you disappeared from school?" Liam asked him

 

"The truth," answered Theo. Liam looked at him doubtfully.

 

"That we locked you up in the ground with your dead sister?"

 

"Yep" Everyone looked at him confused. "At that point he was convinced that I was suffering from hallucinations, and the recovery clinic's story seemed credible"

 

"Fascinating story," Mason commented.

 

"I was expecting better from a professional liar like you," Liam said sarcastically.

 

"I could always tell him that I fell into a hole and stayed there" Corey laughed.

 

"It happened once!"

 

"Twice." corrected Mason.

 

"Did you really fall into a hole?" Alec asked him smiling.

 

"It was actually a pit," Liam exclaimed in the direction of the chimera.

 

"I know, I had dug it," said Theo. Corey and Mason burst out laughing.

 

"Wow, you could bother me even before meeting me"

 

"It's a talent," said Theo, laughing. "Anyway ... I was wondering ... how is Nolan?"

 

"Well, Deaton says he has recovered."

 

"Did you find out if it was there ... for a reason?"

 

"Deaton is investigating, and ... before being interrupted a while ago, I was saying that I would go to the sheriff, to see if he received any reports of any kind"

 

"I'd like to help, maybe it's no accident that Nolan and I found ourselves there at the same time," said Theo.

 

"I hope it is." Alec told him. The others looked at him. "Well, otherwise would it not mean that you're the one who has to die?"

 

*

 

The group separated. Alec joined Nolan at the clinic, Corey and Mason said they would also go to the hospital for Melissa, while Theo and Liam headed for the police station. There was an awkward silence in the car. What do you talk about with an ex-enemy who saved your ass and then disappeared? Liam stealthily looked at Theo, he seemed relaxed. He quickly tried to think of a topic of conversation. Something that also took his mind away from Alec's comment. Otherwise would it not mean that you are the one who has to die? No, it was an absurd explanation. Impossibile. Theo could not die.

 

"So ... how ... how was your trip?" he asked finally.

 

"Quiet, nothing compared to Beacon Hills."

 

"Did you miss the chance to die twice a day?" Liam asked sarcastically.

 

"I like the risk," said the other with a grin.

 

"And ..... about that research you were talking about?"

 

Theo did not answer right away. "It was nothing important, and anyway I didn't find what I was looking for" Liam waited. He didn't know if it was appropriate to elaborate on the subject.

 

"I hear your brain buzzing from here," Theo said.

 

"Eh?" Liam asked, surprised.

 

"You're  dying to ask me what it is, but you don't know whether to do it or not, little buggy beta"

 

"Ah fine, sorry if I'm interested in problems of friends"

 

Theo turned to look at him. Perhaps the use of the word 'friend' had surprised him. He said nothing, but he struggled to hold back a smile. That did not escape Liam.

 

"And anyway ..." Liam felt that it was the right moment to say it, before he lost his courage. "if I have to be the alpha, then I must have a pack and I want you to be part of it, Theo"

 

Theo looked at him, and then said, "Who has decided that you must be the alpha?" with a sarcastic smile.

 

"Ah shut up"

 

"Anyway, it's obvious that you want me, I'm amazing"

 

"And modest, let's not forget"

 

Theo parked outside the police station and turned off the vehicle. He turned to Liam. "So, would you say that Stilinski still wants to shoot me?"

 

 

 

*

 

 When Alec arrived at the clinic, Deaton was not there. And Nolan was sleepling. He suddenly felt stupid. The others had jumped on the most important tasks, and there he was instead. What should he do? He looked around for a moment, and then sat down on the ground, his back against the cold wall. He decided he would kill time by playing with his cell phone, until Nolan woke up. He did not have to wait more than a few minutes. Nolan suddenly sat up. Alec looked up, and took off a cap from his ear.

 

"Hey man, good morning, huh!" Nolan didn't seem to have heard. The smile slowly disappeared from Alec's face, which gave a strong push to get up. "Nolan?" whispered.

 

It was as Theo had said. His face seemed to look at a distant point. Farther away than he could see with his werewolf senses. As if pushed by something, Nolan got up and started to leave. Alec ran after him and stood before him

 

"Hey hey, where do you think you're going?" But Nolan ignored him. Alec knew that you should never woke up a sleepwalking. And he wondered if it was the same for the Banshees.

 

Maybe he sensed something, he thought. Maybe he could follow him and see what he did. He could find something useful. Suddenly he felt excited.

 

'I hope he doesn't end up hit by a car during my surveillance shift', he thought, closing the door behind him and following Nolan towards the woods.

 

*

 

"What is this time, a wolf, a vampire, a wereraccoon?" Exclamed the sheriff, looking at Theo and Liam.

 

"We don't know"

 

"We never actually know, every time," Liam said.

 

"It could, not be anything, it's just a banshee feeling," said Theo.

 

"Wait, is Theo a banshee?" Liam held back from laughing.

 

"I'm not a banshee, Nolan is the Banshee"

 

"Nolan is a Banshee? But-"

 

"Please, do not ask me how can a boy be a banshee?" Theo yelped.

 

"Okay, I will not ask, I discovered years ago that the less I know, the better it is"

 

"Good," Theo agreed.

 

"Nolan sensed something in the woods, was there any incident last night?"

 

"No ... Nothing that has been reported to us at least, Parrish! Was there any signal in the night?" He turned to his deputy sheriff.

 

"No ... apart ... someone who reported black smoke in the street, but there was no fire."

 

Apparently, everything was quiet, Liam breathed a sigh of relief. At that moment the cell phone rang.

 

*

 

"Nolan can't you slow down? Where the hell are we going? We've been walking for half an hour!" Alec cursed, trying to avoid yet another branch in his face. Nothing, Nolan did not answer. 'I wonder if he wanted to go back for a bath.' Alec tried to listen, but could not hear the sound of the water. And he was almost sure they were far from that side of the woods. He stopped for a moment to take his breath. He had been wondering for a while about calling Liam, but he did not want to bother him without knowing if it was important.

 

"Hey Nolan, at least do you have something to drink?" He looked up. Nolan had finally stopped. Alec got ready to join him. "What's up?" And then he saw what was up.

 

I think I'll call Liam. Alec stepped back, horrified. There were people on the ground. One, two ... five. Next to them there was a perfectly mounted camping tent and backpacks against a tree. They were lying as if they were asleep.

 

"Oh please tell me you're not dead," Alec whimpered. At that moment Nolan fainted again. He turned to look at him. "Oh please, tell me you're not dead, too"

 

Alec did not have the courage to get close to checking the bodies. But it was obvious that they were lifeless. He took the phone with shaking hands and dialed Liam's number. Two rings, and Liam answered.

 

"Liam, you have to come immediately into the woods"

 

"There are some people, I think they are dead"

 

".. just dead, how could I know how?"

 

"Nolan found them, yes, no ... he fainted, I hope"

 

"Just come in. Or you will find me dead too"

 

He hung up and leaned over Nolan. He was breathing. He was just sleeping. He sat next to him with his back to the bodies. He couldn't look. He knew he could not move, Liam would find them by following their smells. And that was the least he could do. He looked at Nolan.

 

"Dude, what the hell is going on here?"

 

Because he was sure of one thing, without looking: there was no smell of blood. Whatever had killed them, it had no fangs, no claws, no weapons of any kind. So, what did it have?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks to Every_Version_Of_Me who kindly offered to correct any mistakes in the story! ^ __ ^


	3. Shadow

 

Liam did not know how to describe how he felt. He was angry, maybe? Disappointed, frustrated, scared. If he could smell his own mood with his wolf senses, he would probably get confused by himself. Not even two months had passed since Scott has left, and he was already with five corpses on his hands. Other people were dead. And even if Deaton didn't want to speculate about it, it was obvious that there was nothing human in those deaths. Scott had left town in his hands, but Liam kept repeating that he was not able to protect it. Not knowing how to do it. And despite the previous weeks, he had a hint that something was going to happen, he had denied it to himself. He had rocked in the marvelous prospect that everything could go really well for once. But it was not like that. Nothing was ever good at Beacon Hills, after two years he should have learned it. But no. What kind of alpha could it be? How had Scott managed to handle that burden on his stomach for all those years? Why did not he know where to start? Even now, when it was obvious that something was happening, Liam did not know how to deal with it. Someone was dead. But they did not know how, nor why, or who it was. Or what. He was angry with himself, he was angry with Scott, he was frustrated by his own incapacity, he was humiliated by the feeling of inferiority he felt. And he was angry because he was getting angry. That damned rage that never left him ....  
  
  
"Liam" made a voice far from his left. "Liam" It was little more than a whisper, but it made him come back to himself. Lost in his thoughts, had he forgotten he was in class? He clutched the edges of the desk with so much force that he thought a few more seconds and he will split it in two part. His eyes felt pinched, a sign that they had glowed, and his claws were about to get out.  
  
"Liam, are you okay?" the voice repeated next to him. Liam turned to look at Theo, who was sitting next to him. "Are you still working on your anger?" Theo whispered, moving closer so as not to be heard by the others. Fortunately, no one seemed to have noticed yet.  
  
"Shut up, you do not need to remind me how incapable I am"  
  
Theo inhaled. "Listen, I do not know what it's going through your little head, Beta, but at the moment the last thing we need is that you lose control, so breathe! Do you have your mantra, no?"  
  
"It does not work anymore," Liam growled, but inhaled as Theo had suggested.  
  
"How do you usually do then?"  
  
"I do not do anything, I make sure I can not hurt anyone and wait for it to pass," Liam replied. He inhaled again.  
  
Theo was aware that this method was not applicable at the time. He thought. Liam reacted with anger to stressful situations, it was because of the intermittent explosive disorder that he had been carrying for years. So he was probably reacting to the question "dead bodies in the woods".  
  
"Liam, we will solve this too, we will manage, as we have always done, and we will find out what it is, but to do it, you have to get yourself together."  
  
Liam nodded. Another deep breath.  
  
"And do not worry, if you lose control, I'll be there to lay down like last time," he added sarcastically. Liam smiled through his tight jaw.  
  
"And I always have plastic bags ready to be used to hide a few bodies" Liam felt his body relax.  
  
"I could even let you break my nose, if it helped calm you down"  
  
"Tempting," Liam commented, finally opening his eyes. They were blue again.  
  
Theo exhaled. "Are you feeling better?"  
  
"Yes, it's annoying that it has always to be you to see me like that"  
  
"I find that funny, especially the part where I have to knock you out to keep you quiet "  
  
"Bastard" Liam said. The trill of the bell interrupted their conversation.  
  
"What lesson have you now?" Theo asked him.  
  
"History with Yukimura"  
  
"Me too"  
  
"Good, today I will not get rid of you then"  
  
They walked together to the history classroom. "So, did you talk to Melissa?" Theo asked him.  
  
"No, she told me it's going to take some more time for the autopsy, even if they fixed it urgently" Liam looked at Theo. "You have no idea what it might be?"  
  
"Me, why?"  
  
"Well you've grown up among these things, you'll surely know more than us"  
  
"I have no clue, Liam" he asked as they took their seats at the back of the classroom to speak freely. "But I do not like it," he added. "Have you seen their expressions?"  
  
Liam shuddered as he thought about it. The bodies, cold and lifeless, seemed asleep, but their expressions ... Liam felt that he would never forget it until he lived. It was pure terror. Even the usual calm of Theo seemed to waver.  
  
"They were terrified - whatever they saw, it was not human"

 

"You ... do not you think it could be the Anuk-ite?" Liam asked. If something could do it something like that, it was just that.  
  
"No, impossible, Stiles sealed it with the wolfsbane, and the Anuk-ite petrify, does not kill," replied Theo immediately. "This thing, whatever it is, is even worse" Liam looked at him. He's never seen Theo so worried.  
  
"Look, Liam ... I think we should call Scott" Theo's statement struck him as frozen water.  
  
"No, I will not call him at the first difficulty! Scott has the right to sit still, so he left everything in my hands!"  
  
"But .."  
  
"I said no!"  
  
"Okay okay calm down"  
 

Theo wanted to avoid re-raising Liam's wrath during a class, so he would have dealt with the subject when he was in a position to give him a punch without having to explain to other people. He glanced at him one last time, before noticing the blonde girl he had met the day before in the principal's office entering the door and looking around for a place. She too ... Lisa, isnt she? she noticed it and nodded to him. She seemed relieved to see a familiar face. Theo answered the greeting.  
  
Liam looked from him to her. "Who is it?" he asked impulsively.

 

“Eh? Nothing, I guess she just moved here, she was with me in the principal's office yesterday"  
  
"I did not make you such a sociable guy," Liam said.  
  
"You did not know all the sides of me," said Theo sarcastically.  
  
"No, in fact, I only knew the worst, and it was enough"  
  
Theo thought of withdrawing the idea of waiting for them to be alone to give him a punch.  
  
But then Liam made a hint of a smile. "But I must say that even this apprehensive side of your scares me a little'" joked Liam. "I'm starting to think you're human"  
  
Theo took it as a compliment. After being called manipulator, liar, killer, monster, bastard, double agent ... probably human was the kindest thing that had ever been said. And he could tell distinctly with his werewolf sense that Liam was not lying. And that felt a strong sense of gratitude, which was probably too proud to admit. Suddenly there was a barely perceptible bit of irritation or annoyance?  
  
He looked at Liam "Your friend is looking at you, you probably hit on her" he did, looking at Lisa. Theo looked at him amused. _Seriously they were talking about that?_ Theo thought it was the case to be honest. "Liam"  
  
"Hmm?"  
  
"I do not like girls"  
  
Theo thought there was nothing more exhilarating than seeing Liam speechless. He stared, and a faint blush dyed his cheeks.  
  
_Seriously they were talking about that?_ Liam thought back "Ah .. mh okay" he said only.  
  
Theo laughed amused, looking away and pointing at Professor Yukimura, who was crossing the threshold just at that moment.  
  
*

 

"You really are a great dunderhead!" Theo exclaimed.  
  
"And you're unbearable," Liam replied as they walked toward their lockers.  
  
At that moment Mason and Corey joined them. "Wow love just explodes out of your faces here," commented the first sarcastic. "So what's the subject of this exciting argue?"  
  
"Scott," they both exclaimed. Corey and Mason looked at them.  
  
"I will not call Scott at the first difficulty, I've already told you before"  
  
"I think he would like to be informed, if you would call him he would run immediately, and also Lydia, Stiles ... and Malia! Even Derek and Peter, maybe ... We need help!"  
  
"We do not even know what it is!" Liam exclaimed.  
  
"Okaay, guys, calm down!" he started to say Mason.  
  
"Stay out!" Liam and Theo exclaimed in chorus.  
  
"Admit it, you think I can not handle the situation!" Liam did to Theo  
  
"Liam," said Theo exasperated. "You do not even think you can handle it" Bad thing to say. Liam felt control slipping it again.  
  
"Okay, we're leaving, and leave you at your ... couple crisis?" Corey ventured  
  
"Corey!" Theo and Liam did the chorus again, Liam with a slight growl. They could hear him and Mason laughing as they sidestepped.  
  
"Do not try to warn Scott, I'll take care of this, I can do it, we can do it"  
  
"Why do you have all this desire to prove something? Will you kill us all just because you want to prove you can play at alpha?" Theo lowered his voice, noting that they were not alone. A few lockers away was Lisa, who was arranging her books inside. "Stop it!" Liam cried, now trembling with rage. At that moment a deafening clang echoed through the hall.  
  
For a moment Liam thought about the shots. _The hunters. Monroe. Brett. Lori._ Fear replaced anger. And he looked for the source of that noise. Theo looked in front of him, amazed. And Liam followed his gaze.  
  
Lisa had closed her locker with such force that she completely folded it. She also looked at what he had done upset. As if she did not know what exactly happened. He looked around in fright, and caught the gaze of Theo and Liam, still speechless. Then, almost on the verge of tears, she turned her back and ran away.  
  
"Have you seen ?!" Liam exclaimed, "Come!" They followed her, until they found the door to the girls' bathroom in front of em. "I will not go in there" "Neither do I" They looked at each other.  
  
"What do you think it was?" Liam asked him. "Do you think she's a werewolf too?"  
  
"No, I was next to her, I even talked to her, I would have recognized her smell if she had been like us." She thought back to when she looked at her out of the presidency, she thought how smelled of normality.  
  
"So what was that? No human could do such a thing"  
  
"Yet ... I would bet on my powers that se is human"  
  
At that moment, Liam received a message. "It's Melissa, she wants to see us," he informed him.  
  
"Now?" Theo did. "What do we do with the fifth hour?"  
  
"Theo Reaken who cares about skipping school" Liam teased him.  
  
"Screw you and the fifth hour," Theo snapped  
  
*

 

The hospital was crowded with people, a continuous coming and going of people. Theo and Liam approached the counter, behind which Melissa was busy reading some folders. When she saw them, she gave them a barely visible sign to follow her. They entered the archive. There nobody would disturb them.

 

"So, any news?" Liam asked, full of expectations.  
  
"You know I should not tell you anything," she began  
 

"Yes, yes, if they ask, it was not her," said Theo immediately. "What does the autopsy say?"  
  
"Nothing at all," she replied. "No wounds, neither internal nor external, no poison, no traces of asphyxiation or suffocation or drowning, nothing in their stomach could suggest an intoxication. Death occurred about 10 pm, and hypothermia was also excluded, so unless all five suddenly died of a heart attack, nothing comes to my mind that may suggest that we are faced with something human . "  
  
"Why was the heart attack excluded?" Liam asked.  
  
"Excluding heart attack is impossible, because their heart has actually stopped, but as I said, five people, not even thirty years old, suddenly die of a heart attack all together is not very plausible. Moreover, when the infarction occurs, you tend to bring your hands to your chest, the body remains stiff with pain, while in this case they were ... they seemed to be sleeping. As if they were puppets to which someone suddenly cut the strings, "she explained." And their expressions ... were terrified! Whatever they saw must have frightened them to death "  
  
"They died of fear then?" Liam asked again.  
  
"You can not die of fear, Liam. At the most, the fear triggers the heart attack, but we have excluded it, "replied Melissa.  
  
"So what was it to kill them?" Theo exclaimed, more and more agitated.  
  
"I can not give you scientific hypotheses, but I feel I can risk something supernatural," she began. Theo and Liam looked at her. "I'm not an expert, but I'm a nurse and I've learned that the supernatural can do things that are humanly impossible.The only idea that comes to mind is that someone has blown away their life, energy, soul ... call it as you want, and leave only empty shells, that's what those corpses are for me, _empty shells._ "  
  
Liam looked at Theo for a possible confirmation.  
  
"I've never heard of anything like that," he shook his head. He honestly did not know what to think.

 

*  
  
"A supernatural creature that feeds on people's lifeblood?" Deaton had listened carefully to the words of Theo and Liam. Alec, Nolan, Mason and Corey also became attentive. "I've never heard anything like that"  
  
"Do you say this creature feeds like that?" said Mason.  
  
"I do not know, Melissa said that it seemed to her those bodies look like empty shells to which every vital force had been taken away"  
  
"Do not you tell me," exclaimed Alec, "that also Dementors exist?" He seemed euphoric.  
  
Liam looked at him "Dementors dont exist"  
  
"And then the Dementors feed on the happiness of people, not the lifeblood," added Theo surprisingly. Everyone looked at him amused. "What is it? I had to do something for ten years in the sewers, you know, the doctors were not a great company " Someone giggling.  
  
"Anyway ...beside the surprising passion of Theo for Harry Potter, I have another piece of news," Liam said, holding back a smile. "There could be someone else like us in town" Everyone looked at him.  
  
  
"Her name is Lisa, she just moved here and ..." Theo repeated in brief what had happened in the corridor.  
  
"Do you say that she is human ?" Nolan asked him.  
  
"Not entirely of course, but it's not like us"  
  
"So what is it? A human being who suddenly transforms and develops a monstrous force?" Mason asked.  
  
"Oh oh oh!" exclaimed Alec excitedly.  
  
"No," Liam interrupted. "Hulk does not even exist." Alec looked disappointed.  
  
"But we do know that we also have another issue to solve, we need to find out something about her, I have a feeling that too many things are going on at the same time"  
  
*

 

In the dream he was alone. Everything around him was dark. Cold. Nolan gasped, as if he could not breathe. He was trembling, but proceeded by what looked like a long, narrow tunnel. With his right hand he reached for the wall and found it, icy and porous against his hand. A creak. Then another one. It seemed like something was crumbling. And so it was. He felt the floor in front of him open in two. Then the walls crackle with deaf sounds. A fine powder fell from the ceiling, pouring over his hair and clothes. Nolan pressed against the wall and closed his eyes. He wanted it to end.

 

Then he heard footsteps, and reluctantly opened his eyes. Someone was approaching. It was a human figure ... _maybe?_ Wrapped in a golden aura ... _or were they flames?_ Nolan stood staring at her for a long time approaching, petrified.

 

"Come look for me" A female voice echoed through the tunnel. "Come look for me".

 

And he woke up in a cold sweat.

 

*

 

After the dream, Nolan could not go back to sleep. So just before 8 o'clock he was already out of school. The bus with the others would arrive only in half an hour. He was wondering how to kill time, when a pick-up came into the parking lot and settled a few meters away from him. He saw Theo coming out of the car. When he met his gaze, he nodded to him. Theo went to meet him.  
  
"Already here?" Nolan asked him.  
  
"The principal wants to see me before class," Theo snorted.  
  
"What a nuisance"  
  
"Well, that's what happens when you die and raise," the chimera commented. "What about you?"  
  
Nolan hesitated for a moment, "Bad dreams," he replied.  
  
Theo looked at him as if he knew exactly what he meant "I know a thing," he finally said sadly.  
  
"You know, the problem is that now I do not know how to distinguish normal dreams from banshee dreams, I do not know if I explain myself ... And what's worse ..." Nolan began.  
  
"You do not know how to distinguish dreams from reality," concluded Theo. Nolan looked at him. "Want you to tell me what you dreamed of?" he asked him. Nolan hesitated.  
  
"It was not very clear, I was in a dark and narrow place, I think they were underground ... or the sewers ... I have no idea ... and suddenly the ground, the walls ... they started to crack ... and to open up ... And a figure ... golden figure .. she approached me ... she seemed human, even if I did not see her face, but she had this aura around her body... and she told me to go and look for her "Nolan felt suddenly stupid, but Theo seemed absorbed. He was reflecting. He was still doing it when something splashed in front of them. Nolan's eyes widened "What was it ?!"  
  
But Theo had managed to follow the trajectory with his wolf senses. "Alec, are you okay?" he did.  
  
"Yes, everything's okay" A hand came up as greeting from behind a wall, while Alec pushed himself up. "I still have to learn how to brake," he commented.  
  
"Have you run to here?" Nolan asked him.  
  
"Yes, this is the only time I can try super speed without risking investing someone," he said. "But I have to improve the landing. Yesterday I ended up against a tree" Theo smiled amused, then resumed the thread of his thoughts, leaving Nolan to deal with Alec.  
  
Nolan's dream did not seem decidedly just a dream. And if the description held, Nolan probably dreamed of the tunnels under Beacon Hills. Those damn tunnels were lately everywhere. They had been the Den of the Doctors, and also of the Anuk-ite. The Beast had come out of there. And Professor Douglas. Even he had been imprisoned down there. Theo thought it was worth going to take a look. He looked at Alec and Nolan and wondered if he should warn them. They were a pack ... _Pack_. That word made Theo feel a stranger feel in his chest. For years he had wanted a pack, but he had wanted it for power. For the control. Now he just wanted it. He wanted something to protect. He wanted someone to fight for. Someone to fight _with_. _I will fight with you._ Liam's words of that day a couple of months ago, in the elevator, echoed in his mind. He looked again at Nolan and Alec. He looked the clock. The other three would arrive within 10 minutes. If he had to go to meet the enemy, he would go there alone, he decided. He would protect the others. Thus, he told the two that he would go to the principal office and pretend to go to the school. He would have moved by foot.  
  
He had not even made a mile, that something flashed past him, and went straight against one of the trees that bordered the road. Theo blinked his eyes. "Alec, everything okay?"  
  
"Yes, damn trees" cursed getting up and taking off the leaves from his curly hair.  
  
"What are you doing here? Why did you follow me?"  
  
"I will not be able to brake yet" he started "but I heard you lied and you smell of such anxiety that I decided to follow you"  
  
Theo hesitated. He had always been very good at hiding his mood or adjusting his heartbeats, but lately he did not succeed so well. "Nolan mentioned the dream to me, are you going down there?" Theo did not answer "Because if you go there I'll come with you"  
  
"Why?" Alec seemed amazed by the question, as if it were a silly thing to ask.  
  
"Because yes, you do not go there alone, you dummy" He looked at him curiously. "That's why we're a pack, aren't we?" Theo sighed, but relaxed his muscles. Alec had worried about him. He had not followed him because the lie had led him to suspect that he was hiding something. He only wanted naively and sincerely to help him.  
  
"And what will you do with school?" Theo asked him to play down.  
  
"Ah, if I get caught, I will tell them that a senior has forced me to skip school with him. What could I have done, a poor student of the second year against him? "  
  
*

 

When Liam, Mason and Corey got out of the bus, they found Nolan already there waiting for them.  
  
"Hey!"  
  
"Mornin' guys"  
  
"Ready for the great back to school?" Mason says to Nolan. That was the first day for him.  
  
"You're never ready enough, especially when everyone at school knows you took a bath in the woods completely drunk"  
  
In fact, someone was looking at Nolan and giggled.  
  
"Leave them alone, in a few days they will have already forgotten." Liam patted him on the shoulder.  
  
"Hey but ... did anyone see Alec?" asked Corey.  
  
"He was here a while ago, and there was also Theo," Nolan replied. "Theo is in the principal office, Alec said he had to use the bathroom, so we'll probably get them inside."  
  
In front of the lockers they greeted each other. Mason and Corey had advanced biology lessons, while Nolan and Liam had Spanish. The two took place at the last desk. And Nolan wondered if it was appropriate to report to Liam about the dream. He was about to open his mouth when something distracted him.  
  
She was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. With those blond hair that fell in waves on the back and green eyes. Nolan was enchanted to look at her. Liam hit him on the arm and Nolan forced himself to look away.  
  
"It's her! The girl I was talking to you about" And he pointed to the object of his attention.  
  
Nolan was glad to be able to look back at her. She has taken seat three seats before them. _She seems an angel_ Nolanfound himself thinking about. At that moment, she turned and smiled at him, a sweet smile, almost of gratitude. That left Nolan speechless.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"I ... I feel like that girl has just read my mind"  
  
*

 

"Ew, gross" was Alec's comment for the twelfth time. "Seriously, who would live below ?!"  
  
"I lived here" Alec looked at him with wide eyes.  
  
"Why?" The banality and ingenuity of that question displaced him.  
  
_Why?_ Because he wanted power. And the only way was to follow the Doctors. He had lived all his life like this. In the shadows. Pretending to not exist. For what? Nothing. If not to end up even further below than he was before. In his personal hell. With his sister who tore his heart out. Who take back _her_ heart. Heart he had stolen from her to get that power.  
  
Until he had returned to live, he had never really stopped to think about what had been lost by choosing that road. Not that he had much choice, at the time he was only a nine-year-old boy, alone, asthmatic, always outclassed by his elder sister, easily manipulated. But now ... he would have given anything to go back and live a normal life. And at that moment, he felt he wanted to be anywhere but again in those tunnels.  
  
"Because ... this is where shadows live" Yes, that's what he was. A shadow. There but not there.  
  
Alec was about to say something. But at that precise moment, somewhere in those same tunnels, someone shouted. The scream traveled through them, and it came to the two boys so loud and clear it seemed to come from behind them.  
  
"What was it ?!" exclaimed Alec in a choked voice.  
  
"I think we'll find out soon" Theo snapped forward.  
  
"No Theo!" But he followed him.  
  
Alec realized that Theo was following the scent of fear. Suddenly he was so clear to his werewolf senses that he almost vomited.  
  
Theo stopped abruptly in the corner, and Alec went to him. When Theo leaned forward to look, Alec followed suit. They were close to the exit, and there was a man on the ground. Next to it, he had a toolbox whose contents had almost completely overturned. Probably it was just a technician who came for some control.  
  
Alec swallowed hard. _He was dead?_ At that moment the man suddenly raised his head, a terrified expression on his face, and saw them. He reached out to them, with the last remaining forces "He.. help me ... Help..me.." he mumbled. Then he turned on his back to face the approach. Alec and Theo held their breath and stared.  
  
It was not a person. It was not an animal. _It was a shadow._ It had no body. It was crawling on the ground, it seemed almost ... smoke.  
  
_Someone reported black smoke on the street_ had said Parrish.  
  
It expanded visibly, like fog. The man backed a few inches, but it was useless. The shadow wrapped around him, the man screamed, trying to push it away with his hands, but those passed through. Alec gulped. He could feel life slipping away from the man's body. Theo took a step back. With his outstretched arm he pushed Alec back.  
  
"Run," he told him. Alec looked at the struggling man. "There's nothing we can do for him" The voice trembled at Theo. The man uttered a last gasp and then fell to the ground. It was as Melissa had said. _He looked like a puppet someone had cut the strings._ An empty shell.  
  
Theo and Alec stay still, hidden behind the corner. The shadow remained for a while still, then stretched out in their direction. Alec, pressed against the wall, with shutted eyes, completely sweaty, allowed himself a few seconds to think that it was all over.  
  
Theo held his breath. _He was about to die. Maybe it was not so bad. Maybe it was what he deserved. Die down there._  
  
He had just formulated that thought, that the shadow stopped and vanished swallowed up from the ground.

 

TO BE CONTINUED

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


	4. Emotions

Liam ran. He felt his lungs burn, his mind emptied. He rushed into the veterinary clinic, kicking the door open. Deaton was still with both hands resting on the operating table. Alec crouched with his head between his legs and his back against the wall. Theo was standing in the middle of the room, and he turned when Liam came in a fury. "Liam, I ..." He started, but Liam punched him right in the nose, causing him to fall to the ground.  
  
Alec looked up in amazement and started to get up to stop Liam from hitting Theo again. "What the hell did you think of ?!" Liam cried, his voice trembling with rage. "Did you want to die ?!"  
  
Theo did not answer. He remained on the ground, putting a hand to his nose to wipe away the blood that ran down his chin.  
  
"Damn!" Liam snapped with irritation, approaching the table and imitating Deaton's position, breathing to regain control. "Damn!!" he repeated, this time he sounded more like a lament than an imprecation. "You could have both died! Why did not you call us? Why did you go alone?"  
  
Liam felt tears pinching his eyes. He felt weak. He felt useless. Another person was dead. Two of his friends was about to end up in the same way  
  
"Liam" Alec got up and was next to him. He put a hand on his shoulder. "You're right, we should have warned you, but we did not think to run into ..." Alec swallowed. "... that thing, and ..." Alec looked at Theo, who had sat down and dragged himself against the wall ... "I'm sure Theo just wanted to protect us by going alone." Theo met his gaze. "What a dummy, do not you think? I told him too, "he concluded sarcastically.  
  
Liam chased away the tears caught in the corners of his eyes and looked first at Alec, then Theo. Theo wed his green eyes into Liam's blue ones, an indecipherable expression, as if he wanted to say something, but could not find the words. Liam approached him and held out his hand to help him get up.  
  
"Never try to be a hero again," he just told him.  
  
"Okay," Theo replied, but he said it as if to say "sorry", a word that probably Theo, as proud as he was, had never said in his life.  
  
Deaton had followed the scene patiently. He had not been moved by Liam's violent reaction, he had probably noticed that it was just a way of reacting to the fear he had felt. But now that the situation seemed to have calmed down, he returned the speech to the interrupted discussion. "So, Theo, you said that ... what ...?"  
  
"I have no idea what it was, it looked like a shadow, pitch-black ... no body, no smell ..."  
  
Alec shivered at the thought "It seemed to look death in the face," he said then, his voice weak. "I was sure to die, but then ... it disappeared, suddenly, swallowed up by the ground"  
  
"What was it?" Liam said, looking from Alec to Theo and then finally to Deaton, looking for an answer.  
  
Deaton took a deep breath. "I can only speculate, I read some stories, but I've never heard of a response in reality, if it's like I think, it's a very rare thing, maybe unique"  
  
"Great, our usual luck," commented Theo.  
  
"What's this?" Liam repeated.  
  
"A spirit, a vindictive spirit"  
  
"Vindictive? It doesnt sound good," Alec said.  
  
"The souls of dead people usually go beyond: for better or for worse, there is a dimension beyond ours in which they are gathering, to be rewarded or to be punished," Deaton explained.  
  
"A sort of Hell and Heaven?" Liam asked  
  
"Something like that. of course, they are non-physical dimensions: after death, one is deprived of the body and only the essence remains"  
  
"So that thing is an essence?" Theo asked.  
  
"Yes, the essence of someone who feels a strong desire for revenge and resentment, someone who has a score to settle, otherwise it would not be able to keep himself here ... Something or someone holds this spirit to our dimension ... Or ..."  
  
"Or?" Liam urged him.  
  
"Or someone or something has freed this spirit from the dimension beyond"  
  
"Perfect!" commented Liam "And it killed five campers and a technician because ...?"  
  
"Perhaps they were the object of its revenge?" Alec suggested. "This would explain why it spare me and Theo"  
  
Theo shook his head. "I do not think it spared us for it." At first, it was coming towards us, remember? Then it suddenly stopped"  
  
"Well, we can find out if the victims had any connection between them," Liam suggested. It was not much, but they had something to start with.  
  
"I ..." Alec said. Liam and Theo looked at him. "I was wondering ... how do we defend ourselves, from something we can not touch, from something that only kills you by brushing against you?"  
  
But nobody had an answer to that question.

 

*  
  
"So, do you see her?" Corey whispered to Mason.  
  
"Be silent, or they will notice us"  
  
"They all know about us"  
  
"Yes, but I would like to avoid causing a heart attack on some unsuspecting freshman," said Mason.  
  
They were invisible, Corey held his hand to Mason to pass invisibility to him. They moved cautiously to avoid hitting someone as they walked down the corridor.  
  
"Explain to me why while Liam is being run to Alec and Theo, are we following this girl?" Corey asked him as they entered the library.  
  
"We have to check who she is and what he knows, but above all ... if she's an enemy or a friend," Mason replied, looking around to look for her.  
  
"Lately, it seems to me that the boundary between friend and enemy is definitely going to get fucked" Mason guessed that Corey was referring to Nolan and Theo.  
  
"When there are hunters who want to kill you, creatures with two faces that petrify you and mysterious shadows that suck life from your body ... you have to admit that not even Nolan and Theo look so bad compared," said Mason. "And then ... I may be crazy, but ... I trust Theo, he's changed, he's not the same person as before ... he could let me die that day in the tunnels, but not only he did save me, he also tried to take my pain. And Nolan ... well, he understand that he was wrong, and since then he has done nothing but help us hasn't he? "  
  
"Yeah, probably nobody is ever completely good or completely bad," said Corey. "Ah here she is"  
  
Corey pointed to Lisa, who had just taken books from a shelf at the back. She grabbed the backpack and pushed them in furtively. She loaded it back in her shoulder and headed for the exit. Mason and Corey squashed against the bookshelf as she passed them by. She was almost at the door, when Lisa turned to look, straight in their direction. Mason felt Corey hold his breath. Mason covered his mouth with his hand so as not to make any sound. Lisa's gaze lingered too much on them to consider it a stupid concussion. The girl had a confused expression, as if she did not see them but sensed that someone was there. She shook her head with irritation, and rushed out.  
  
Mason and Corey looked at each other. "Do you think she noticed us?" Mason asked him  
  
"I do not think he saw us, but he felt our presence without a doubt"  
  
"What does that mean, did you hear something from her?"  
  
"Nothing, it's like Theo says, it smells like a 100% human, but it's weird, she smells of anxiety and confusion ... I think she's scary, I know what it's like to suddenly discover that you're not ... more like everyone else, maybe we should try a different approach  
  
*

 

"Okay, what are you going to say?" exclaimed Mason, holding Liam by the arm.  
  
"I do not know, I'll improvise"  
  
"Liam, are you sure --?" Even Corey tried to make him reflect.  
  
" _You_ said to try a different approach, If stalking her, we do not discover anything, I'll ask her directly "  
  
Liam strode across the corridor to cover the distance between them and Lisa, who was busy with her backpack in front of her locker.  
  
"So" he began standing in front of her. Lisa jumped slightly in fright. "What are you?"  
  
Lisa looked at him as if he were crazy. "I ... I'm a girl, you know?" she answered sarcastically. "Great brain, sweet voice ... pepper spray in her bag ..."  
  
Liam raised his eyebrows. Behind him he heard the muffled laugh of Corey listening to everything with his super chimera hearing.  
  
"Listen, I'm tired to beat around the bush ... Every time someone comes, and it seems normal, then suddenly fangs or tail sprout out ... or suddenly takes on fire, saves us then tries to kill us. So lets jump to the part where you tell me who you really are, why you're here and what you want "Liam had said everything so fast that Lisa was not sure she understood correctly.  
  
She stood looking at him with wide eyes, not knowing what to say or do. "I ... I do not know ... what you mean ... but ... I do not know what-"  
  
Liam looked at her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "I know things happen to you that you do not understand, we just want to help you ..."  
  
Lisa took a step back. "We ..? Who ..? What ..?" Lisa just had time to wonder if the guy who had fallen on him suddenly knew something about what was happening to her, that someone grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him back slightly.  
  
"Liam, what are you doing ?!" the newcomer exclaimed.  
  
Lisa recognized the cute boy she had noticed the day before in Spanish.  
  
"Hey Nolan, nothing, we had a chat," Liam said innocently.  
  
"Okaay" the other said sarcastically. He grabbed him by the shoulders and pushed him away with a grimace that seemed to mean "Go for a ride, dude, you're an idiot"  
  
"Wait, I ..."  
  
"Liam!"  
  
"Okay okay I'm leaving"  
  
Nolan kept looking at him to make sure he really went away. He saw him reach Mason and Corey who took him by the shoulders dragging him to class. Mason turned to Nolan and waved his thumb. Nolan snorted amusedly. Then he turned to the girl.  
  
Again he found himself thinking how beautiful it was. She smiled at him  
  
"Thanks," she said.  
  
Nolan hesitated. He wondered again if she could read his mind.  
  
"Nothing, forgive him, he's not as bad as you think, he's just a bit impulsive. He did not want to scare you, " he told him.  
  
"I know," she said. "Uhm .."  
  
"Ah, I am Nolan, we are in the same class as ..."  
  
"Spanish, I know, I'm Lisa" She smiled at him again. "Well, it was nice to meet you, but I think now ... I have to go to class, or I'll be late"  
  
She took the backpack from inside the locker, but in doing some books spilled over.  
  
"Damn it," she exclaimed, bending down to pick them up. Nolan imitated her and grabbed one of the nearest books. "Interpersonal skills and empathy" recited the title. Nolan looked at the book first, then Lisa.  
  
"Here," he handed the book to her. She grabbed it and hurried it into the backpack.  
  
“See you in class " She looked at him one last time, giving him a last stretched smile" It was nice to meet you ... Nolan "  
  
Nolan only had to watch her leave.  
  
*

 

Theo laughed. "I do not believe it, please tell me you did not really do it," he exclaimed.  
  
Liam gave him a dirty look, feeling himself blush.  
  
"Yes, he did," laughed Corey.  
  
"What are you?" Mason imitated Liam's threatening tone.  
  
"I did not say it like that," he protested.  
  
Theo laughed again. "You're out of your mind, Beta"  
  
It was the lunch break, and they sat in one of the courtyard tables.  
  
"Let's hear, evil genius, how would you have convinced her to talk?" Liam snapped, looking grimly at Theo, who was sitting next to him.  
  
"Well there were other ways that were much more _persuasive_ ," said Theo sarcastically.  
  
Liam blushed at the allusion and gave a punch to Theo's arm.  
  
Mason and Corey looked at them. "Is it only strange to me?" Corey whispered to Mason.  
  
"Intense," said Mason  
 

*

 

Nolan could not wait for the bell to ring to meet the others. He looked at Lisa, who was sitting somewhere by him. He was beginning to understand something. And he wanted to hear the opinion of others. He tried to concentrate on the coach's words and take some notes. He wrote something, when suddenly a shiver ran down his spine.

 

He realized the silence that had fallen into the classroom. He looked up from his notebook, and realized he was completely alone, sitting at his desk. Someone had turned off the lights and the classroom was dimly lit. What..? A noise caught his attention.

 

With heart beating wildly, and deadly fear , Nolan stood up and headed for the corridor. He looked around for the source of the noise. It was a familiar sound. It was the flowing of the water. Nolan realized that the floor was completely wet. A trickle of water pouring from the ceiling.

 

Nolan held out his hand to brush it, when he heard another sound. _Tum, tum, tum._ It was as if someone was knocking something, again and again. The sound matched with the rapid beats of Nolan's heart. _Tum, tum, tum._ Suddenly a thunder ripped through the air, and Nolan jumped. He looked around as if looking for a way out. _I want to wake up, wake me up!_

 

"Come and look for me" Again that female voice. _Tum, tum, tum_. Nolan swallowed hard, trying to find the voice. "Who .. who are you?" He mumbled. _Tum, tum, tum._ Then someone screamed. In the distance. It was a voice that Nolan knew very well. _It was Liam's._ And he shouted a name. That Nolan knew very well. _Theo's._  
  
A sharp pain in his head brought him back to reality. "Ah!" He found himself lying on the ground next to his desk, everyone's eyes on him. The coach looking at him worriedly. "Holloway, are you alright?"  
  
"Yes, coach, I just fell asleep"  
  
"Fine," he said, looking relieved, "So you're being grounded," he continued, changing his tone.  
  
"Ah ?!" Nolan said, pulling his head slightly to look at him  
  
"Nobody sleeps during my classes!" he exclaimed returning to the desk. Nolan snorted and let himself fall back with a dull thud.  
  
*

 

He had to reach the others quickly. They would probably go to the courtyard to have lunch. He would find them there. As he made his way through the corridor, someone pulled him back from his arm. He turned and faced Lisa, panting for the ride.  
  
"Lisa"  
  
"What happened in the classroom?" she asked him.  
  
"What do you mean?" Nolan asked surprised.  
  
Lisa had a tense expression, which did not agree with simply seeing a companion fall asleep in class.  
  
"I heard it, _your fear_ ," she exclaimed almost to the brink of a panic attack. "I do not understand what happens to me, it never happened so ... _hard_!"  
  
"What do you mean?" Nolan took her by the shoulders trying to calm her down.  
 

"I ..." Lisa looked at him. Was she really going to tell it to a just-meet boy? But the desire for answers was stronger than anything else. "You'll think I'm crazy!"  
  
"Trust me, nothing you say will make me think you're crazy." Lisa looked at him again.

 

"I ... I can feel what others feel ... I feel their emotions, the strong emotions ... _the fear, the hate, the anger, the love ..._ as if they were _mine_. just a slight perception, but since I'm here it's different, it's like everything is amplified, and the other day in the corridor, your friend was _so angry_ ... that I felt angry too ... when I saw what I did to the locker ... I was terrified "  
  
"Are you empathic?" Nolan asked her. "You searched for answers in books in the library"  
  
Lisa nodded excitedly. "It's not just that, many people are empathetic, but this ... I think it's different"  
  
Nolan hesitated. He did not know what to think.  
  
"You know something." she insisted. "And your friend, before ... Liam ... he too ... what's going on ?!"  
  
Nolan looked at her. "So, how many absurd things can you accept in a day?" he asked her for information.  
  
Lisa inhaled. "More than you can imagine"  
  
*

 

Lisa could accept being an empathy. Seriously, she could do it. It was not a gift so rare. But accepting that there were werewolves, banshees, and murdering spirits was quite another thing. As he listened to Nolan telling her what was probably his daily life, she could not help but feel upset.  
  
"I know it sounds absurd, but it's the truth"  
  
"I know, that's the problem, I feel how much I want you to believe me!"  
  
Nolan exhaled. "This thing is disturbing," he commented.  
  
Lisa glared at him. "And now?" she asked him.  
  
"Come on, let me introduce you to others"  
  
"Others? How many are there?"  
  
"Enough," only Nolan said, opening the door and guiding Lisa into the courtyard.  
  
He saw the others in the distance and heard Theo laughing as he approached.  
  
"Guys" Nolan stood before them.  
  
Liam, Theo, Corey and Mason glanced from him to Lisa. "All right?" Liam did, feeling his accelerated heartbeat.  
  
"Lisa is empathetic," he said only, sliding down next to Mason.  
  
Everyone turned to Lisa.  
  
"Er ..." Lisa was surprised that nobody seemed surprised by the revelation. Nobody looked at Nolan, telling him he was crazy. "Yeah," she said only.  
  
"Sit down," Theo said, running closer to Liam to make room for her.  
  
At that moment Alec came boldly. "Hi guys, whats up?" he sat down next to Corey. He looked at their faces, and the smile faded. "Who else is dead?" asked.  
  
"Nobody's dead for now" Nolan jumped at the sentence. He recalled the vision, and the voice of Liam calling Theo desperate. He turned to the chimera, not knowing whether to say anything.  
  
"Well, I do not want to see corpses anymore" Lisa followed the shocked speech. Only then did Alec seem to notice it. "Ah ... you are ... the locker girl!"  
  
Corey nudged him.  
  
"Shut up Alec," Theo told him.  
  
"Theo, do you know anything about empathic creatures?" Mason asked to deepen the discussion.  
  
Lisa turned suddenly to Theo. "Are you Theo?" he asked him suddenly.  
  
Theo looked at her. "Yes why?"  
  
"Nothing ..." Lisa tried to divert the subject. What could he tell him? That she had the strange feeling that his name was familiar to her?  
  
"I thought ... that day ... you did not tell me your name ..."  
  
Theo seemed to hesitate, then looked back at Mason.  
  
"I do not know, but I do not think empathic is the right definition."  
  
Theo closed in his thoughts. On that day in the hallway Lisa had folded the locker only with a gesture. He was sure he did not fit in the powers of an empath.  
  
Lisa looked at Theo for a second. It's true, his name was familiar to him. But nothing of that face suggested something to her. He did not know him. Maybe ... that feeling belonged to someone else? And she was just channeling it? Yes, maybe this was the answer. But who did it belong to?  
  
"Lisa ...?" He heard Liam's voice calling her. She watched him. "Can you tell us anything else, when did this start?"

 

Lisa reflected. "I've always been able to understand what others felt, but it was just a feeling ... But since it's here, it's kind different, the first time it happened in the corridor when you were discussing ... with Theo" Everyone was looking at her. "I felt your anger as if it were mine, which is why I banged the locker so hard, but I do not know because ..."  
  
Theo stood up suddenly. Everyone looked at him. "There's one thing I have to check"  
  
"Hey hey," Liam said. "Where do you think you'll go now?"  
  
"I just have to go to the library, _Mom_." Liam glared at him. "I promise you I will not get in trouble"  
  
He waved and rushed inside. Nolan seemed to hesitate.  
  
"Probably Lisa was lured by the Nemeton here to Beacon Hills, and it's the Nemeton that increases her powers"  
  
Lisa looked at him confused "What's the Ne ..?"  
  
"A magical tree catches-monsters," Alec said quickly.  
  
Liam looked at him. "It's a tree full of energy that attracts people like us ... good and bad" He thought he should explain it better.  
  
"And what am I, good or bad?" Lisa asked with a grimace.  
  
"Well this depends on each of us," Nolan told her.  
  
Lisa looked at him. "So all of you ... are you ...?"  
  
"Werewolf," Alec said, raising his hand.  
  
"Idem," said Liam.  
  
"I am a chimera Half a werewolf, half a chameleon"  
  
"I am a banshee," said Nolan. At Lisa's questioning look, Nolan continued, "I predict death, and I have visions about everything that concerns it"  
  
Nolan stopped. It is true, all visions revolve around death. This is his power. For a moment his heart lost a beat.  
  
"And what are you?" Lisa asked Mason.  
  
"Ah, I'm human, no fangs, no claws, just a baseball bat"  
  
"And Theo?"  
  
"Chimera," Liam replied. "Half wolf half coyote"  
  
Lisa inhaled "It all seems so absurd"  
  
"It is" said Mason "Welcome to the club"  
  
"And what is this vindictive spirit story?"  
  
Liam looked at Nolan. "Did you tell her _everything_?"  
  
"Better than she knows, if she's like us, she can help"  
 

 _Tum, tum, tum._ Nolan held his breath. Alec noticed it.  
  
"Hey Nolan, are you okay?"  
  
Nolan looked towards the school entrance.  
  
" _Theo_ "  
  
*  
  
Theo had an idea in his mind. And he wanted to check. He was sure he had seen some mythology books in the library. Maybe there could be something that could help them. At most, he would come back to Deaton. He was still walking down the corridor when he felt a chill down his spine. And he felt the danger.

 

He turned slowly. And he saw it. The shadow slipped on the floor, slowly towards him. Theo remained still for a moment, then began to run. Run, run. Without knowing where to go.  
  
_How do we defend ourselves against something we can not touch? From something that kills you only by touching you?_ Alec had said.  
  
And that was exactly what Theo, running, was wondering now

  
TO BE CONTINUED

 


	5. Powerless

Alec had never really seen a werewolf lose control.  
  
Being born werewolf, as indeed all his family, no one had ever had serious problems to manage neither the full moon nor even the anger. He remembered that he had not lost control even when six years ago his family had been exterminated by hunters. Neither when 4 months ago Monroe had killed the pack that had welcomed him for years. Nor during the months spent wandering alone in the streets of New Orleans, before Scott and Argent found him.  
  
But seeing Liam lose control, the body trembling, and the eyes moving swiftly from blue to gold, for a little while the safety of Alec also wavered, and so that mask of sarcasm with which he usually faced the moments of crisis .  
  
"Theo" had only said Nolan. But everyone knew what he meant.  
  
Liam was paralyzed for only a few seconds, before rushing into the building.  
  
Mason and Corey looked at each other scared.  
  
Nolan was still motionless in the same position, with that cold bite in his stomach that he was sure did not mean anything good.  
  
Alec was petrified only a few seconds more, then looked at the others "Stay here" and ran after Liam.  
  
"Alec no!" they shouted after him but it was late.  
  
"What is happening?!" exclaimed Lisa, looking from one to the other. Nobody listened to her. Mason and Corey looked each others, and then rushed behind the others.  
  
Lisa jumped up and went next to Nolan. She grabbed his arm and shook him as if to wake him "Nolan, let's go!" she said only before running inside.  
  
There was no longer any trace of the others. But Theo said he was going to the library, so she thought about going there. Then she heard it. Such a burning hatred that for a moment took her breath away. She stopped and put her right hand on the wall to metabolize it. It was a feeling so strong, so painful and destructive that she thought she would implode at any moment. But she could clearly hear where it came from.  
  
And that's where she headed.  
  
*  
  
Theo was crouched behind one of the bookcases. He was panting to catch his breath after the race. He leaned forward to check the situation. And for a brief moment he thought he had seeded that thing. Then he felt that icy chill down his back again and looked up. The shadow stood high above him, and slowly slid to the ground. It infiltrated the shelf behind him, trying to grab him. Theo pushed away, rolling toward the tables that cluttered the center of the room. He looked up at the shadow and for the first time in his life, Theo felt _powerless_. All that power, all he had done to get it ... disappeared in an instant before the icy shadow of death.  
  
And closing his eyes, Theo thought he deserved it.  
  
*  
  
It was at that moment that he heard it. Liam's voice. "Theo!" He shouted. Liam hurled himself against the library door only to be bounced back. "What the-?" Liam quickly got up from the ground and pushed the doors hard. Nothing, they were blocked. "Theo!" he screamed again.  
  
Liam could see him through the glass windows of the two doors. On the ground, with the expression of someone who knows he is going to die. Liam was beating his fists on the door with such violence, that the wooden splinters of the two doors had been stuck in his knuckles, making the blood gush out hard.  
  
At that moment Alec joined him and behind him, Corey and Mason. And then Nolan. Alec tried to push the door with him, but nothing.  
  
"What's got this damn door ?!" Mason exclaimed. It was at that moment that the shadow slipped on the floor, approaching Theo.  
  
Mason and Corey backed away. "That ... is ..." "Oh my God"  
  
In response, Liam beats even stronger on the door. "Theo!"  
  
Meanwhile, Theo had sprung up with fangs and claws out, his eyes gleamed golden, but he knew that they were useless. The shadow hurled itself at him, enveloping itself around his neck. Theo gave a strangled verse, as his body lifted a few inches off the ground, his breath racing.  
  
"Theo, no!" Liam cried again, beating, if possible, beating his fists on the door even stronger. Theo looked at him. He clearly saw him through the door.  
  
"Li..am ..." he gasped. The gold in his eyes faded back to the green, while Theo felt his strength abandon it. It was at that moment that the sound of a gaping door caught his eye.  
  
It was Lisa.  
  
*

 

Lisa had followed the perception of that hatred so deep, into the yard. She had run through it, wondering where all of them were and what the hell was happening. Turning around the corner, she found himself in front of the library's emergency exit. She hesitated only a few seconds before entering. What she perceived was so terrible and fascinating at the same time that she could not be attracted to it.  
  
_She felt she had to be there._  
  
She opened the door and rushed inside. And she regretted immediately. She would never forget that scene. That black shadow that invaded almost the whole room, Theo suspended almost in mid-air, gasping, with the forces that abandoned him and the fear to spread all over. Fear but also resignation. Lisa perceived them so clearly that she backed away.  
  
"Li..sa .." Theo tried to say "Ru ... ru ... un" And Lisa thought only for a moment to obey him.  
  
Until another emotion struck her like a river in flood. Something stronger than Theo' fear . Stronger than the hate of that thing. She could not even say what it was. Neither to whom it belonged. She only knew she _had to save Theo_. _Because he did not have to, he could not die. He could not lose him too._ And so she did.  
  
"Theo!" she only cried, before throwing herself at him, tearing him from the grip of the shadow. They both ruined the ground, knocking over a few chairs. The shadow seemed to snort infuriated ... before throwing herself at Lisa.  
  
"Noo!" She heard someone shout. Maybe it was Theo. Or maybe it was Nolan. Or maybe ia was her. She thought it was all over, and she closed her eyes so as not to look.  
  
She felt a surge of energy through her body. And she thought she was on fire. Her eyes widened in horror. She caught the same glance in Theo, the same glance that she probably had. Which probably had all the others stuck out there. And she understood why.  
  
The shadow was sliding inside her.  
  
_No._ Lisa thought , feeling go through her a force never felt. She was _absorbing_ it.  
  
Lisa uttered a strangled moan, falling to her knees. Sparks of electrostatic energy splashed between her and the shadow. Her eyes sparkled and turned golden. When she thought he could not hold it any longer, the shadow withdrew and vanished, splitting into a thousand pieces.  
  
A sound of footsteps reached her ears, before everyone else was around her and Theo. The door must have been unlocked, it must have been that thing that wanted to prevent anyone from entering.  
  
"What ... hell ... did it happen?" Lisa mumbled, before fainting.  
  
Nolan caught her. "Lisa!"  
  
"What the hell was that, seriously!" Mason exclaimed.  
  
Meanwhile, Liam was bent over Theo. "Theo, are you okay ?!" Theo pushed himself hard on his arms to sit up. "I was better before," he commented, rubbing his neck.  
  
"Ah Liam" Alec said "I think you can now withdraw the claws" Now that everything seemed temporarily resolved, the sarcastic tone returned to accompany him.  
  
Liam, kneeling beside Theo, gasped trying to regain control. "I can not make it"  
  
"Yes, you can do it," Theo said. "Hey Liam, look at me, look at me." He gripped his face with his hands, forcing him to look into his eyes. "See, I'm fine, we're all fine, nothing happened.”  
  
Very slowly, Liam nodded, and as he gasped for breath, the claws withdrew, and his eyes turned blue. Theo breathed a sigh of relief "Good, little Beta" said ironic.  
  
"You're not nice even when you're on the verge of death," Liam said, but smiled at him. It was a smile so relieved, so affectionate, that Theo thought it was worth the risk of dying again, just to see it again.  
  
But then he remembered that the time before Liam pinched him out, and that it was probably better not to risk it.  
  
Meanwhile, Mason watched the scene in amazement, and met Corey's gaze. "Have you seen?" Corey whispered.  
  
"Intense," Mason commented.  
  
*

Everyone agreed to meet at Deaton. They had a few things to report to him, hoping he could bring good news, and they also had to take care of Lisa, who was still lying unconscious in Nolan's arms. And while he was charging the girl with Alec in Theo's pickup, Liam went to sit in the back seats of Mason's car. "See you there," Theo muttered, glancing at Liam. He nodded his head briefly, before quickly closing the door behind him. In the car, a tense silence reigned, all taken by metabolizing what they had just seen. _Lisa. The shadow. Theo who was about to die. Liam ..._ Mason looked at Liam through the rearview mirror. His best friend seemed lost in thought, staring out the window. And if he knew him well, right now, he knew he was asking himself the same thing he was asking about. But if he knew it as well, while Mason already had the answer, Liam was in the most total confusion. And it was so.  
  
_When did it happen?_ Liam repeated. When did the little bastard become so important to him? To the point of losing control in seeing him almost dying? At the point of feeling mad at having to stand there watching _powerless_ while he was hurting ... without doing anything, without being able to help ... when Theo ... _Yes, Theo was always there to save him._ That time in the hospital, against the ghost riders. _Being the bait,_ he said, pushing him safely into the elevator. "Damn fool, how dare you try to die for me?" Liam remembered thinking as he threw himself against the sealed doors, hearing Theo's growls in the distance. And then one, two shots. And again silence. He had looked everywhere, and for the first time he had heard that fear invade his body, the fear that from that day would no longer left him. The fear that his friends would die for him, the fear that they would leave him alone. It was that, he understood it in that brief moment, which made him lose control every time. Hayden leaving. Brett and Lori. Gabe shooting at Scott's house and injuring Mason. Nolan holding the crossbow against him, _and Theo._ Scott and the others leaving for college. Theo disappearing without a trace. The shadow. Alec. Theo. _Theo again._ "I will not die for you" "I will not die for you _either_ ," Liam had told him. Yes, because Theo did not have to die. And he did not have to die either. _They would fight together._ Nobody had to die for him. He would protect them, everyone.  
  
With this newfound confidence, despite the many doubts that were whirling through his head, Liam got out of the car to enter the veterinary clinic. The others were already there. Lisa was lying on the operating table, and Nolan was beside her, while Alec was busy with Deaton. Liam looked around. The security of a few seconds before seemed already to waver "Where is Theo?" whispered.  
  
"Do not fuss over it, Liam," Alec said cautiously, putting a hand forward. "He just said he wanted to take a ride to clear his mind"  
  
"What ?! He has just escaped death and goes around by himself ?!" Liam exclaimed with a growl.

 

"I do not think there's anything to worry about ... I think that for the moment that thing is out of the game, and anyway ... he said that he would have gone around the wood full-shifted"  
  
Liam looked at him confused. "What does it mean full-shifted?"  
  
"Do not you know? I mean turned into a wolf"  
  
"Theo knows how to turn into a wolf?" Mason asked amusedly.  
  
"Most people born wolf or transformed in childhood learn to do a full-shift"  
  
"Can you do it too, Alec?" Corey asked curiously  
  
"Not me" Alec hesitated. "My ... parents died before they could teach me ... And ... none of my pack was able, so ... no hairy ears and fleas, fortunately"  
  
"However, the transformation into a wolf should protect it from the shadow," added Deaton reassuringly.  
  
Liam snorted "That idiot, when he comes back I'll give him a pinch"  
  
"You mean 'I'll give him a piece'" Nolan corrected, looking at him amused.  
  
"No, I'll give him a pinch, and four punch, straight on the nose," Liam explained, approaching Nolan and Lisa. "How is Lisa?" he asked then.  
  
"He has not regained consciousness yet, she will be exhausted, whatever it was, it seemed exhausting"  
  
"Did you say that she absorbed the shadow?" Deaton asked as everyone gathered around her.  
  
"Yes, it was really ... incredible," commented Mason.  
  
"And did you say that she is able to perceive emotions?"  
  
"Yes, she said she can almost feel them as if they were hers," Nolan replied, looking at her.  
  
"I'm beginning to understand," said Deaton. Everyone looked up at him.  
  
"Really, because I do not understand anything," Alec said, with a smirk of amusement.  
  
"The shadow is the rancor of someone who clung to our world, so it is ... to put it simply, it is a concentrate of negative emotions, and Lisa manages to channel the emotions of others, so the shadow can't kill her, but only passed her through, "explained Deaton.  
  
"So ... Lisa can stop that thing?" Liam asked hesitantly.  
  
"No ... Lisa can only channel it, after all, how can you destroy an emotion?"  
  
"Does that mean ... there's nothing we can do ?!" Deaton did not answer.  
  
"Wait, you said that Lisa manages to channel the emotions of others, no, but maybe not just that," said Mason.  
  
"What do you mean?" Nolan asked him.  
  
"Remember what she said? That day in the hallway she sensed Liam's anger as if it were hers, and then ... when she closed the locker ..."  
  
Corey looked at him "She also channeled Liam's powers," he exclaimed in amazement.  
  
"Liam's powers go crazy when he feels strong emotions, so they're probably tied to emotions, channeling them, Lisa can also reproduce the supernatural powers of people around her"  
  
"That's why, despite everything, she had a human smell," Alec commented.  
  
"It is not a supernatural creature, but she can absorb the powers of others creatures," added Corey.  
  
"Absorb ..." Mason said. "Wait, and if that was what the shadow also does?" He exclaimed. Everyone looked at him. "Absorb the lifeblood of people"  
  
Deaton met his gaze, an awareness that suddenly made its way into his mind. "And why would he do it?" Alec asked  
  
"Because it wants to come back to life," Mason said.

 

*

Silence. Liam turned to Deaton. "Is such a thing possible?"  
  
"I have no clue, I told you, it's a unique event, souls should be sealed in another dimension, they should not be able to roam the earth, but if we trust what is said about ghosts, I would dare to say that to come back to life it will need a body to possess. "  
  
"And if it looks for a body to possess it will look for someone powerful," Mason said. Alec looked at Liam. "Like an alpha"  
  
"I'm not an alpha," he exclaimed, gulping.  
  
"But ..." Nolan looked at them one by one. "When it has a body, it will be vulnerable, will not it?" He said.  
  
Liam hesitated. "This would imply having to sacrifice ... whoever will be possessed"  
  
Mason interrupted them. "Do not think about this now, we need to find out who this killer phantom belongs to, if it really wants to come back to life, it will look for revenge after doing it, and we need to know who's going to look for"  
  
"Besides, we do not know how many human lives it will have to absorb to get a body back," added Deaton. "Other people will die if we do not find out how to stop it"  
  
"Do you have any idea?"  
  
"I'll do some research, I'll look for other older and wiser Druids than me, maybe they'll know something more about shadows"  
  
"Good," Liam agreed. "And tomorrow we will look for news on the old cases here in Beacon Hills, maybe find out who could have an outstanding account and with whom"  
  
"Okay" the others did in chorus.  
  
Liam looked at Lisa, her face relaxed, lost in the dream world. It was because of her if Theo was not dead. She had saved him. Nolan seemed to understand what he was thinking "She was incredible, was not she?"  
  
"Yeah, if it was not for her, Theo now ..." Liam could not say.  
  
Alec approached them. "It was strange, though," he said. "When the shadow attacked that technician, death was almost instantaneous ... I ... of course I'm happy that Theo is fine, but ... it did not seem to want to kill him, I do not know ..."  
  
"Perhaps it is more difficult to absorb the vital essence of a supernatural being?" Corey suggested.  
  
"Or maybe ..." said a voice behind them. Everyone turned to look at Theo, standing at the door. "It was not my life that it wanted"  
  
"What do you mean?" Liam asked him slowly. Theo met his gaze, a look so vulnerable on his face, as Liam had never seen on him. Even before Theo spoke, Liam already felt that icy grip gripping his stomach. And what he said, left everyone open-mouthed.  
  
_"I lost my powers"_

 

_TO BE CONTINUED._

 

 

  
 

  
 


	6. Nightmare

A stunned silence had invaded the clinic for a few seconds, interrupted only by Alec words. "I think you, Liam, have to reconsider that thing about the four fists on his nose"  
  
Theo looked at him with what it meant to be a furious look, but that in the end it seemed only a desperate look. Theo crossed the room and slumped to the ground, burying his head between his legs.  
  
"If that thing attacked Theo in order to steal his powers, then it knows about supernatural," Mason noted.  
  
"Did you have any doubts?" Corey snorted.  
  
"Perhaps it has a score to settle with the supernatural, and now it collects energy and powers to take revenge - if it were a human vengeance, it would not need it," Nolan suggested.  
  
"Ah, great! We must just find someone dead in Beacon Hills who feels grudge against the supernatural? Very easy," exclaimed Theo, his head still hidden, and his voice muffled. "Practically half the population died killed by something supernatural only in the last _three_ years"  
  
"How many have been killed _by you_?" Mason made him sarcastic.  
  
Theo raised his head only to strike him with a glance.  
  
"Okay, stop, this is not the time to discuss this." Liam interrupted them.  
  
"Nolan, do you get to bringing Lisa home? I think she's going to wake up" Lisa had indeed begun to move the fingers, and the breath, Liam warned, had grown heavier.

 

"Okay, better not to regain her senses on the operating table of a veterinary clinic, with all of you looking at her," he replied, approaching the girl, and taking her in his arms.

  
"When she wakes up, tell her everything," Liam said, as Nolan walked out.

  
"Alec, do you want a ride?"

  
"Yes ..." Alec turned to look at Liam then Theo. "What do we do about ..?"

  
Liam also looked at Theo. "I do not know ...." And Liam did not really know it. That the shadow was able to steal even their supernatural powers was something he never imagined. For a moment Liam imagined himself without powers, helpless, unable to fight, to protect himself or everyone else ... He swallowed. Who knows how Theo was feeling, who had spent most of his life as a chimera.

  
"There's nothing to be done," Deaton spoke. "Actually we had to wait for it"

  
Mason nodded. "It's true," he continued. "We've said that the shadow probably absorbs the essence of people, supernatural creatures have two, first absorbs the more superficial, then the deeper, the human one."

  
"Absurd", commented Corey.

  
"We're fucked," commented Theo.

  
"After this cheerful note, I guess I can go," Alec said sarcastically, waving, following Nolan outside.

  
"Probably ... we should go too," said Mason, looking at Corey.  
 

"Yup"  
 

"Be careful, guys," Liam told him only. Mason met his gaze, and briefly waved at Theo before leaving. Or at least Liam thought so.  
 

"Liam" Deaton called him, drawing his attention "You should go too, I do not know how safe this place can be"  
 

"What will you do?" the boy asked him worried.  
 

"Dont worry, I will not stay here, I'm leaving right now, I have friends out of town who could help me learn more about this story, I hope I can come back with answers"  
 

Liam nodded, and let himself be hugged "Be sure"  
 

"Yes" For the second time, it seemed to him that Deaton waved at Theo.  
Liam approached him. "Come on let's go" and he held out his hand.

 

Theo looked at him for a moment, confused, as if he did not really know where he was, what he should do or where he should go. "I do not have a car, you have to give me a ride home," he said.  
  
Theo raised his eyebrows as if to say, "Did you take me for your chauffer?" but then he grabbed the hand Liam handed to him and pulled himself up.  
  
When Liam sat down in the passenger seat, he waited for Theo to engine. He wanted to say something, but he feared that every word could be out of place, or wrong, in a moment like that. He decided to wait for Theo to talk about it, which probably would not have happened in a million years.  
  
Liam wandered around the car, trying to get distracted and fight nervousness. And his gaze fell on something sticking out from under his seat. With a flicker of understanding, Liam lowered and Theo noticed his gaze.  
  
"No Liam, dont to-" Liam pulled out an open bag, full of junk, such as towels, razor blades, various snacks, bubble bath and crumpled clothes. Behind this, he bent down to pick up a heavy blanket.

  
He turned to Theo. Theo held his gaze only for a second before returning to the road, clearly uncomfortable. "You ..." Liam started to say.

  
"Yes, Liam, I sleep in my car"

  
"Why?!"

  
"Well maybe because the Doctors are dead, I have no money, and my fake parents are not willing to welcome me at home after I broke their hands with a hammer?"

  
"Yes, but ... what? What have you done?"

  
"Forget it" Theo put the topic aside with a wave of his hand.

  
"Does that mean that you sleep in your car since I freed you ?!" Theo did not answer, and Liam knew he wanted to say yes. "So while the Ghost Riders roamed free by taking people, the Anuk-ite killed supernatural creatures to look for its half and the Monroe hunters were chasing us, you were sleeping in a car?"

  
"Yup"

  
"Wow, it's really hard to get rid of you," Liam said.

  
"Thanks," he said, pulling out of Liam's house.

  
"Park"

  
Theo looked at him confused. "Why should I park?"

  
"Cuz you sleep at me"

  
"I'm not going to sleep with you," Theo protested.

  
"My parents are not at home"

  
"This is not the problem!"

  
"And what is the problem?"

  
"I'm ... sure you snore"

  
Liam raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious?"

  
Liam bent down and grabbed Theo's bag and the blanket, and got out of the car. "Liam!"

  
"I do not think you can sleep in the car without these things"

  
Theo came down and planted himself in front of him, gesturing for him to give him back his things.

  
"Liam" repeated in warning

  
"Theo" Liam took a step towards the boy, becoming serious "I will not let you sleep alone in the car with that thing that goes around and that has already tried to kill you once, especially not in your .. conditions"

  
"I'm human, not dying," commented Theo, rolling his eyes, but lowering his outstretched hand in surrender.

 

"Come on, let's go, I'm exhausted." Liam turned to the house, and led him inside. Theo looked around curiously. Liam had already climbed the first three steps of the stairs that probably led to the bedrooms, when Theo turned left and saw the couch.

  
He pointed it out. "I will sleep on the couch"

  
"No"

  
"Of course?" Theo exclaimed. "Where do you want me to sleep? With you, is there anything you need to tell me?" he continued teasingly.

  
Liam turned to look at him, a faint blush that colored his cheeks. "Of course not! But you will sleep where I can see you"

  
"I swear to you I will not destroy the house"

  
"You know it's not what I mean, come on, go up"

  
And Theo, with a last desperate look on the couch, prepared to follow Liam up the stairs.

  
*

  
 

"Melissa" She turned and sighed with relief.

  
"You are here"

  
"So, is it happened again, right?"

  
"Three others" confirmed the infirmary, entering the morgue, followed by the sheriff.  
There were three cold, lifeless bodies lying on the loungers. Eyes wide open in the expression of terror now become so familiar to the sight of the two. "Who were they?"

  
"Wife and husband, and her 11-year-old daughter, had only stopped to refuel at a gas station," the sheriff whispered.

  
Melissa was about to close the bags to hide those expressions. "What the hell is going on, do you know anything about it?" the churches.

  
"Well Liam did not want to say anything to me," he replied. "But Alec has spilled me all over"

  
"I supposed," the sheriff commented. Melissa updated him on the question of the ghost.

  
"A ghost? Seriously?" the sheriff exclaimed. "And they know how to stop it, please tell me they know it"

  
"They ... they are working on"

  
"Will we ever have a break from the supernatural?" Stilinski exclaimed, moving towards the door. He could not even accept the sight of those black envelopes, which a moment before had been full of life, and now ... nothing.

  
Melissa followed him, sitting next to him on the chairs in the waiting room. "I'm happy that at least Scott and Stiles managed to get out of here"

  
"They do not know anything about this, do they?"

  
Melissa shook her head. "Alec told me that Liam does not want to involve them"

  
Stilinski breathed deeply. He decided it was better to change the subject.  
"So, what's it like having a teenager back home?"  
"Well, I do not have any problems with teenagers, it's supernatural teenagers who are a trouble." she answered "But .. Alec is okay, he looks a little like Stiles"

  
Stilinski looked at her with wide eyes "Poor yourself then"

  
Melissa laughed. "Anyway, I think he's happy ... He was thrilled when Scott proposed to take his room, I think he has been alone for a long time"

  
"Out of curiosity, I thought that he was born werewolf, and yet ... I would swear I saw him crashing into a tree one morning while I was checking around" Melissa laughed again.

  
"Yes, Chris explained to me that his family was an abstentionist"

  
"What were they excuse me?"

  
"They are born wolves, but they refrain from using their powers, except on full moon nights, since they can not control them, so they never really learned to handle them," she explained.

  
"I see ... You know ... This makes me understand against who we fight"

  
Melissa looked at him. "That boy's family ... refrained from using their powers, so they probably never hurt anyone, yet they were killed anyway"

  
"They do not care who they are, how old they are, or what they actually did, they just hate them for what they are, and they will never stop"

  
"What does Argent think?"

  
"Chris gave up the code a long time ago, actually I think something is in mind now"  
 

"Is he still in France?"  
 

"Yeah, I think he's in contact with Isaac's pack. He wants to monitor the hunter situation in all the Nemeton of the world"

  
"We avoided it once, but ... will it happen?" Stilinski tightened his grip around the holster where he hid the gun.

  
"There will be a war soon"

  
*

  
 

"I would be grateful if you just... help me," Liam said, dragging a mattress into the room.

  
"I'm human remember? Here you are the one with the super strength"

  
"Ah, now you're not ashamed anymore to use the card of the human uh?"

 

"We always need to know when something can be used good and when not"

  
"Like wolf like human," Liam mumbled, dropping the mattress next to his bed. "Here it is"

  
"Well, what about if I take the bed and you the mattress?" Theo asked, winking at him.

  
"What about if you go to sleep in the tub?" And he went through it to open the closet. He took a shirt and a pair of shorts, then pulled them. "Here"

  
"What if I wanted to sleep naked?"

  
"Are you having fun?" Liam wanted to make sure.

  
"Yes, very much," he replied, turning and closing in the bathroom.

  
Liam snorted, amused, and started to undress and dress quickly.  
Then he dropped onto the dead weight bed. It had been a busy day. And turning to the mattress beside him, he thought he would never have imagined sleeping with Theo in his room. All the emotions of the day began to ruin him, all the weariness, and anxiety ... he wanted to stay awake, be able to talk with Theo ... but the warmth of sleep enveloped him in a few moments.

  
"Hey Liam, do not you have something ... larger?" Theo exclaimed coming out of the bathroom, only to stop abruptly, seeing Liam blissfully asleep on his bed.

  
Theo snorted before seating himself on the mattress. Lying with his arms behind his head, he stared at the ceiling. Then move his gaze to Liam, his face relaxed, the mind free of bad thoughts.

  
Theo instead was afraid to fall asleep. Every night since he returned, he was afraid to fall asleep. But this time it was different. Not just because Liam was a few inches from him, but because this time Theo was human.

  
He was sure he could not handle the memory of his sister tearing his heart from his chest. Again and again. _And again_ He could not hold back his tears as he whispered, "Please do not stop." He would not have known how to look her in the eye again, knowing that what she had died for, had been lost forever.

  
 

*

Liam would have expected to be woken up by a fist, a bucket of water or any other spite Theo could imagine in his twisted mind. By everything, but not by the sound of a sob.

 

He opened his eyes confused, and as if by instinct, he turned to the mattress next to him, only to see him empty. He sat up and looked for the lamp switch. The dim light lit the room tenuously, revealing Theo's body curled up on the ground in a corner, shaken by the thrills, in a painful attempt to hold them back.

  
Liam did not know what to do. Never in the world would have thought to see Theo, Theo Reaken, cry. He slipped out of bed slowly.

  
"Theo" and crouched in front of him. Theo sank even further with his head between his knees, as if he could conceal the fact that he was crying. "Theo, look at me," Liam repeated.  
 

Slowly the boy looked up, his eyes teared with tears. And Liam swore that he could feel his heart tighten in his chest, in a particularly painful way.

  
"Tara ... she died because I could have those damn supernatural powers," he began, his voice trembling. "I was a child, I did not understand half of what was happening around me, they told me that _she wanted me to have her heart,_ and all the time, all I did was repeat it to convince myself. If I had had a pack, if I had become the alpha ... she would not have died in vain ... In a twisted way, all I did ... since then ... I did it because she did not die _in vain_ "

  
Liam listened to him, for the first time he felt that Theo was not lying, giving a sincere voice to what he felt. He probably had never done it in his life.

 

He remembered that day on the bridge when Stiles had asked him what he was smelling from that boy he did not know yet. _Sadness._ It was the truth. Theo had always regretted his sister's death. He had never lied about that.

  
"When you sent me to hell, I realized that I had built my belief on a lie, Tara hated me, and I hated myself for that, I just killed her and all the time I was down there, she continued to take back what was hers, _her heart._ "

  
Liam shuddered. "Was this your punishment?" whispered.

  
Theo nodded, wiping the tears that had wet his face. “And it's never over. Every night when I close my eyes, she is there, and continues to take it back. _Again and again_. As much as I feel guilty, as much as I can ask for forgiveness, she will never stop. Because _it's hers_ "

  
Liam said nothing, slipped a hand on the shoulders of the older boy, and held him tightly. "No more," he whispered, dissolving from his embrace and wedging his eyes in those of Theo "When you laugh, when you're angry, when you're scared ... when you're nervous ... I feel that heart beating in your chest. It belongs to _you_ , Theo, and I swear to you that I will kick out anyone who will try to say it's not like that. " Theo remained still for a moment, lost in that look. "Come, you need to sleep" he led him to the mattress where he waited until he lay down under the covers, before resuming his place in his bed. "Nobody will hurt you, in reality and so in dreams" he reassured him, and Theo nodded, almost more serene, closing his eyes, under Liam's gaze.

  
 

Liam stand here watching Theo sleep. Waiting for something. The boy's face contracted into a pained grimace. "Tara ..." he mumbled. "Tara ..." Theo shifted. "Do not ... sto .. you ..." he said.

  
"Theo" Liam whispered. He stretched a hand over the edge of the bed, wrapping his wrist. He was amazed when the veins on his arm were colored black. He had absorbed his pain. It took a moment to realize that Theo was in pain while he slept. How was it possible?

  
A moment later, however, he was aware that he could _actually_ do something for him. He searched with his hand, the hand of the other guy, intertwining his fingers to his. And slowly he saw Theo's face clear. So, with hands still laced, slowly even Liam slipped into the world of dreams.

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED._

  
 


	7. Balance

"Do you want to re-examine all old cases?" Parrish looked at Mason and Corey who stood before him, as if they were crazy. "Do you know how many files there are in the archive?"

  
"Yes, many, I guess"

  
"Most all of the last few years," Mason commented. "But we are looking for something ... quite specific"  
"Listen"

  
"Suspicious Death Probably supernatural, whose author is probably a person very close to the victim."

  
"You just described all the crimes that happen in Beacon Hills," Parrish said.  
 

Corey snorted. "If only we could learn more about this ghost, maybe we would find out what it wants ... _who_ wants"

  
"We only know that it collects lives and supernatural powers to come back to life, and that in order to do so it will need to possess someone, but we do not know who it is, because it does, what it wants, and even less who wants to possess"

  
"What do you know then?"

  
"Nothing, nothing at all, and this is frustrating"

  
At that moment, Mason's phone rang.

  
"Who is it?" asked Corey anxiously.

  
"Alec, he says he found out something"

  
 

*

It was Saturday morning and Alec would have preferred to do something different than study. But if he wanted to pass the year, since he had signed up halfway, he had to work harder than the others.

  
Moreover, Melissa had been clear that the school came first. Supernatural murders aside. Alec liked Melissa. And he was deeply grateful to Scott for allowing him to stay in his house.

  
But at that moment, bent over the math book, he would almost have preferred to be a tramp on the streets of New Orleans.

  
If at least Chris had been there ... he was strong in math. Or at least Melissa, but she was on duty at the hospital.

  
Alec snorted, and stood up to retrieve the notes Nolan had written for him a few days earlier. _For what weird reason Nolan had highlighted everything in yellow, without missing a word?_ Alec sighed and flipped through the pages quickly, trying to make sense of what he was studying.

  
Then he noticed that yellow was not the only color. Nolan had highlighted something in red. But they were just letters. Always the _same_ letters.

  
At that moment he thought back to Mason's words when he told him what a banshee was, and he grabbed the phone to write a message to his friend.

  
*

  
 

For the first time in his life, Theo felt absolutely rested. He took a deep breath before opening his eyes and meeting Liam's still-sleeping face, his head aboard the bed and his arm outstretched toward him. Towards his hand. The fingers intertwined with his own.

  
For the first time in his life, Theo also felt himself blush. But he did not leave the boy's hand. On the contrary, he continued to look at him. _When did you become so important to me?_ In the end, he thought, shaking Liam's hand, and thinking back to the night without nightmares he had passed, it was just as he had always thought. Yup...

  
 

*

Alec was showing the notebook to Mason and Corey, sitting around a table in the park away from prying eyes. They had also called the others, but no one had arrived yet.  
"What do you think it is?"

  
"Either it's a message, or Nolan has a bizarre way to mark things," said Corey

  
"It's normal?"

  
"Yes, Lydia always did it," Mason answered quietly. "We just have to understand what he meant"

  
"He marked only a few letters in red," Alec pointed out

  
"Yes, but here there will be fifty pages, it will take days to figure out which letters he marked" Corey huffed.

  
"I'll take care of it." Mason took the papers in his hands and hid them in his jacket pocket. "For now we do not say anything, we will do it when I have the solution," he said.

  
"Why?" Alec asked.

  
"I do not want to give them false hope, maybe it's just Nolan who's out of his mind"

  
"Ahh, as you please"

  
At that moment, Nolan and Lisa joined them, sliding down next to them. "How are you doin', Lisa?"

  
"Bad," she answered.

  
"Please, tell her she did not look like a freak"

  
"No Lisa, you did not look like a freak," repeated Mason, not too convinced.

  
Lisa slipped her face into her hands. "I just want to know what the hell is going on"  
 

"I think all of us would like to know it"

  
"Where are Liam and Theo?" Nolan asked.

  
"They said they were coming," Alec replied.

  
"Is it true bout Theo?" Lisa asked suddenly. "His powers ...?" Nobody answered, but Mason nodded.

  
"It seems so"

  
"So that thing has ... powers similar to mine?" asked the girl.

  
"It would seem ... even if yours are not so ... destructive," said Mason.

  
"Well, not really ... yesterday she got the shadow ass ki-" Alec began before stopping under the grim look of Nolan. "Sorry"

  
"I just want to know what I am," she exclaimed.

  
"It does not matter," Nolan said, looking at her. "You are Lisa, _only_ Lisa"

  
The girl gave him a look of gratitude, while the others exchanged embarrassed coughs. Fortunately, Theo and Liam arrived to break the embarrassed silence.

  
"What happens?" Liam asked taking a seat.

  
"Nothing" made Alec and Mason chorus.

  
"So, any news?"

  
"Nothing from Parrish, it's impossible to verify something with the little information we have," said Mason disconsolately.

  
"News from Deaton?"

  
"Nothing yet" Liam shook his head.

  
Theo looked at Lisa. He had the feeling that she was vital in this story.

  
"Listen, Nolan ... do you remember that golden woman you told me about? That woman of your dreams?"

  
Everyone looked at Nolan, amused and confused. Nolan blushed. "It was a vision"  
Lisa frowned "I meant it was a premonition, not a vision, in that _sense_. And it was disturbing, "Nolan stammered.

  
"What are you talking about, guys?"

 

"Here, y'know ...the other night I dreamed about being in the tunnels, and this woman wrapped in this strange golden aura ... told me to go and look for her"

  
"Why did not you tell us right away?" Liam exclaimed.

  
"I told Theo and Alec, and they almost died from going into the tunnels," Nolan exclaimed in response.

  
"That woman ... could it be Lisa?" Theo asked him.

  
Nolan looked at her "No, her voice was different, it was a voice I do not know"

  
 

"See"

Liam looked at Theo. "Do you have something in mind?"

  
“Nothing in particular. Yesterday when I wanted to go to the library I wanted to look for something ... even if I did not know exactly what, I feel like I've heard of some old myth that's right for us, but I can not remember good"

  
"Listen, guys," Lisa interrupted, "I do not know what's going on... or what I am, but I'm sure of something." Everyone looked at her. "Yesterday when I was looking for you, I perceived the hatred of ... _that thing_ ... It was such a hate ... so strong ... that ... it must have received a great offense to get to feel such a feeling"

  
"Can you hear what that thing felt?" Nolan asked, open-mouthed.

  
"That thing is only made of rancor and desire for revenge! Of course I can hear it!" Lisa exclaimed.

  
"Did not you hear ... to whom? Or what?" Liam asked

  
"That's not how it works, I do not read mind, I just feel what others feel, and the stronger it is, the more I feel attracted to it ... the more I feel it as if it were mine"

  
"So how did you manage to not be overwhelmed from all that hatred?" Nolan asked in amazement.

  
"Well ... because ..." Lisa looked at Liam "I felt an emotion even stronger than the monster's hatred" Liam felt himself blush, and looked away before anyone else noticed.  
The others looked at Lisa as if to ask for an explanation. But she shook her head and continued. "If all the people who died of violent death remained anchored to the earth, we would be invaded by murderers ghosts!"

  
"What do you mean?"

  
"I'm trying to explain the kind of hate I've felt, but it's ... hard to describe an emotion," she noted. "That was not the hatred of a person killed or wounded by a stranger with supernatural powers, it was the hatred of a _betrayed_ person."  
Everyone remained silent. "Do you know someone dead because of the supernatural and who may have felt betrayed by someone?" For a moment silence reigned.

  
"There would be Allison," Mason ventured, looking at Liam. Mason and Liam knew the story of Allison. Scott had told them a thousand times.

  
"No, it's not possible," Liam said. "Allison died to save her friends, Scott and the others loved her, and they still consider her part of the pack, despite everything. I refuse to believe she blames the supernatural and her friends of her death, I refuse ... to have to tell Scott something like that "

  
And in his heart, Liam really hoped he would never have to do such a thing.

  
*

  
 

It had been almost a week since Deaton had left, when Liam received a message from him that warned him of his return. In the message, he asked him to bring everyone to the clinic in the afternoon. "Do you believe he discovered something?"

  
"I hope so," Liam said dejectedly, while the sound of the bell accompanied their exit from school.

  
Melissa had told Alec that there were six more deaths during the week. And they had no way of knowing if any other supernatural creature had been robbed of its powers, because, even if it happened, no one was blowing high-sky, as Theo did, who kept a low profile, trying not to get noticed.

 

Most of the time he would lock himself in Liam's room, if not when he went to school, and he did not always do it. It was probably difficult for him to manage his newfound vulnerability.

  
He had hit the bottom, according to his words, when three days before he had caught the flu and had to stay in bed for two days, regretting not having more 'the strength to give a punch on the nose to Liam, who did not other than wandering around his bedside making fun of him.

  
"How's Theo?" Mason asked.

  
"Does he still have the flu?" Alec asked, amused.

  
"No, he only wanders around the house like a soul in pain," Liam replied. He would almost have considered the thing funny if they were not in such a desperate situation.

  
Nolan and Lisa were already in the car when they reached them.

  
"Well, see you at Deaton." Liam said, nodding, as Alec climbed into Nolan's car, and he slammed into Mason's car with Corey.

  
The two talked about something about the math notes. "Now I'm almost there, I double checked them again, I'll watch the last two pages tonight"

  
Liam wondered how they could deal with mathematics at such moments.

  
When they arrived at Deaton, Theo's pickup was already parked outside.

  
"... sure I've already heard it!" Theo was saying. The two turned to look at them as they entered. "Deaton, tell me you have good news," Liam sighed.

  
"Nothing, bout the ghost, but I found out something ... about you" And he lingered with his eyes on Lisa, who seemed to shiver. Nolan squeezed her shoulder, as if to reassure her.  
 

"Listen"

  
Deaton glanced at them, one by one.

  
"Have you ever heard about Ammit?"

  
 

The group looked bewildered. "We should have?" Alec asked.

  
Deaton inhaled. "In Egyptian mythology, Ammit was the one who presided over the tribunal of souls: every deceased passed from her to psychostasis"

  
"The what?" Nolan did.  
"Psychostasis is the power to read people's hearts. Ammit decided the fate of their souls, establishing their final destination, "Deaton explained.

  
"Hell or Heaven," said Liam.

  
"Yes ... roughly, those are more Christian concepts, but the gist is this. The legend says that Ammit weighed the heart of the deceased and a feather on a two-plate balance. If the heart was lighter, the soul was rewarded, otherwise punished "

  
Everyone was listening to him "Obviously it's just a legend, it's more likely that Ammit was simply a person like Lisa able to feel the emotions of others"

  
Lisa looked skeptical "I'm almost sure I've never participated in an anime judgment ceremony"

  
"In my humble opinion," Deaton continued, "when this soul, of whom we still know nothing, has fled from its prison, Ammit has manifested herself as the guardian of souls"

  
"And did it manifest herself in Lisa?"

  
"Yeah"

  
"But I had these skills for a long time before I came here, and I understand that this ghost has appeared more or less ..."

  
"When you arrived," Mason concluded.

  
"I can hazard the hypothesis" began Deaton "that all the empathists are descendants of Ammit, and that she has simply chosen you as a manifestation of her essence"

  
Deaton took a long breath. "The shadow is trying to gather power to stop Ammit from reabsorbing it ... It's all about ... _balance_ ... When the balance has been distorted by the escape of this soul, someone has come, someone been able to contain it. You have the same powers, you are two sides of the same coin, "concluded Deaton.

  
"It's all so absurd," commented Corey "And I think I've never used the word 'absurd' so much in my life as I've been doing these last weeks"

  
"So maybe the woman in my dream was ... Ammit?" Nolan asked doubtfully.

  
"I do not get it ... how did this soul escape from its prison?" Liam asked.

  
"Maybe some gap has opened?" Theo suggested

  
"You say it could have come out of the wild hunt like the Anuk-ite?"

  
"I do not think so ... I feel like we're missing something simple "

  
"Nolan dreamed of that woman in the tunnels, and the gap that connected us to the hunt was there at first," Liam continued.

  
"Wait, wait," Alec interrupted them, this time so serious that they could not help but watch him, waiting. "I understand that Nolan knows something" Nolan blinked. "Involuntarily maybe, we're talking about dead, so all his visions ... or weird things ..."

  
"Excuse me?"

  
"...mean something," he went on without listening to him.

  
He looked at Mason and Corey. "At what point are you with those notes?"

  
"What notes?" Liam asked. Mason and Corey looked at each other. "What notes?" he repeated.

  
"We wanted to decipher them before showing them ." Mason pulled them out.

  
"Those are not the math notes I gave you, Alec?" Nolan asked, not understanding anything anymore.

  
Mason showed them the underlining. "See, some letters are marked in red"

  
"What letters?" Theo exclaimed, pulling the sheets from his hands

  
"I have not finished checking yet," Mason tried to say.

  
"I do not believe you did not tell us right away," Theo snapped.

  
On the edges Mason had pinned all the letters he had glimpsed, until he reached the last pages. Theo grabbed a sheet and a pen to pin them.

  
He began to write and remained silent, focused for a few minutes.

  
Everyone was waiting. When he had finished, Theo looked at the paper and in a moment he understood. _The woman. The golden aura. The tunnels. The carving walls._ He turned the paper over so that everyone could read what he had written. Liam gasped.

 

_Whatever happens, from now on, it will be your responsibility._

  
He realized that Noshiko was not referring to Theo that day. I

 

n large letters Theo had drawn a name.

  
_Kira._

  
Whatever it was, whoever it was ... Liam had freed it. The sword was the key to the prison in which Ammit had for millennia confined the damned souls. The same sword that Liam had destroyed. The same sword that only Kira could readjust. To send that thing back to where it came from.

  
"We have to find Kira"

  
 

TO BE CONTINUED

  
 


	8. Anchor

Theo was moving the few things he had and cluttering his pickup, parked outside the clinic, in the back to make room for their backpacks and travel supplies when Deaton approached him.

  
"Need any help?"

  
"No, not that I have so much to move"

  
He and Liam would leave for New Mexico, looking for Kira who was currently training with Skinwalkers. They had agreed that it was better not to leave everyone, not to leave the city uncovered. And that the two who would leave should have been a human and a supernatural creature. And since Theo and Liam were the ones who knew Kira better, the choice had fallen on them.

  
Moreover, Liam, even if he did not admit it, preferred to keep Theo where he could see him. And at the moment a car trip, it was the safest place. After all, they did not expect dangers of any kind.

  
Deaton scrutinized Theo carefully. "We have not been able to talk a lot since you came back ... how are you doin' lately?"

  
"Apart from the fact that I'm back to being a very fragile human being ... all right, which would not be so bad, if we were not in open war with the hunters and if a killer ghost without body did not want to kill us all" .

  
Deaton hints at a crooked smile, and looks at Theo. "I was referring to the other thing" Theo remained silent. "Your nightmares. They still continue, " the veterinarian interpreted.

  
"Yes, I do not think they'll ever leave me." Theo closed the car door, and turned to Deaton, putting his hands firmly into the sweatshirt pockets.

  
"It will happen, you just have to find something ... that grounded you to reality"

  
"Do you mean an anchor?" Theo asked, amused. "I'm human now"

  
"Who says that only supernatural creatures need an anchor?"

  
Theo remained silent for a moment, peering in the distance. In the past he had never thought about finding an anchor. He had never needed it. He knew how to control his powers and his emotions perfectly. But now he had begun to understand that the anchor was actually much more. It was what prevented the supernatural side from taking over the human side. And he never had a human side. For this reason the anchor had never been used to him.

 

But now things had changed. And if the anchor was the one who had awakened him, the one who had made him want to live again, the one who wanted to protect with all his being, then ....

  
"I actually" Theo said "think I've already found it, my anchor"

  
*

  
Liam sat on a wall outside the school. Theo had written to him that he was going to pick him up within a few minutes, but he still could not be seen. They had to leave as soon as possible, if they hoped to reach Kira for the next evening. He had contacted Noshiko the night before, leaving the coordinates, and while watching them, he seriously hoped he would not combine yet another disaster. It was at that moment that Theo's pickup turned the corner, parking a few yards away from him. Liam jumped down and walked steadily toward him. He was ready to leave.

  
*

  
 

Lisa swayed lazily on the swing, the sun tapping faintly on her face. She looked the clock. Nolan had said he would arrive in minutes. She prayed that he hurry up. Suddenly she felt uncomfortable sitting there alone. Alone...  
_Please, let me play now too!_ A child's voice suddenly sounded in her head, as if he were right behind her. Lisa turned, once, twice, but there was no one. _Please, I want to do it too!_ Lisa stood petrified. _You can not do it, you're too small, you'll end up feeling bad!_ answered the voice of another child. Lisa tightened her grip on the chains of the swing. And she closed his eyes.  
It was a memory. _A dark-haired girl swayed in the swing where she was sitting at that moment. A little farther a little younger boy looked at her grimly. Almost on the verge of crying. The girl laughed. "It's not my fault if you always feel bad"_

  
Lisa's eyes widened. She remembered that moment. In the smallest details. But ... _the memory was not hers._

  
 

_*_

Crushed in the passenger seat, Liam stirred nervously, the memory of a few nights before still vivid. He had said things that couldn't be taken back. Things, above all, _he did not want to take back._ He would protect Theo, he would not allow anyone to hurt him, not anymore. He did not know when it happened, but he needed Theo to stay by his side.

  
Every now and then he would sneak a glance at the boy sitting next to him, who, however, continued unperturbed to drive.

  
They had not talked about Tara anymore, nor about Theo's nightmares. Liam knew that the boy would not like to bring up those arguments again. So he was limited every night, when Theo closed his eyes, to slide his hand in his, to remove from him that torment, at least for a while .

  
However, the discoveries of the previous day had awakened those bad sensations in Theo. He had always believed that this was his personal hell, but it was not like that. Kira had upset the balance just to seal him down there. A live among the damned souls.

 

And Liam, in freeing him, had let something else escape. In the end, Theo thought, it was _all his fault again_.

  
He distracted himself from the thread of his thoughts, when he saw Liam slide a hand towards the radio, pressing the on button. A song of dubious origin invaded the cockpit. Liam caught the gaze of Theo "What's this?"

  
 

Theo grimaced "This passes the board, I honestly had no money to buy another CD" Liam stared at him for a moment, before understanding

  
"Please tell me we're not in a stolen car"

  
"We're not in a stolen car," repeated Theo

  
"Really?"

  
"No, of course it's stolen," he exclaimed. "Where do you think I found the money to buy a car ?!"

  
"You are out of your mind! Do you want to cross the state with a stolen car ?!"

  
Theo laughed amused. "Keep calm, I assure you that the owner has never reported the theft" When Liam looked at him with wide eyes, holding his breath, added "No I did not kill him, I just ... _convinced_ not to report me"

  
Liam looked at him. "You know, I can not understand you at all, sometimes I think you've changed, really, sometimes I think it's me that just lose my head just for thinking"

  
"I've changed, Liam, you know it too ... and not just because I'm a skinny human being now"

  
Liam did not look away from him. "Why?" Theo looked at him for a moment, confused "I mean, I've always wondered ... why ... you decided to change ... When I freed you, you could have killed us all, revenge for what we had done to you ... and instead you helped us ... and you did not ask for anything in return ... not even to be accepted ... When we defeated the ghost riders, you just left "

  
 

"Because I knew I did not deserve your forgiveness, so I preferred to just leave"

  
"Then you came back"

  
"I did _not_ come back, it was Stilinski who took me back to Beacon Hills on the backseat of a police car, handcuffed next to two killers werewolves," Theo specified.

  
"So, when was it? When did you decide to change?"

  
Theo looked at him for a moment, as if he were deciding whether to answer him or not "I always wanted to be a guy like everyone else, going to school, going out with friends, going to parties, looking for a job ... thought, because it was something unattainable for me, or at least it seemed so. I had spent my whole life immersed in the plans and experiments of the Dread Doctors, I did not know anything different from that. When I arrived in Beacon Hills, I wanted to continue my plan, but on the other hand, I just wanted to stop there and live, just live, but I think the situation finally escaped my hands "

  
"Definitely"

  
"I never told you, but ... that day when Mason found out bout you ... I was the wolf who chased you"

  
"What ?! You? Why ...?"

  
"I heard you in the woods tell Stiles that you did not know how to tell Mason, and ... I thought I'd give you a hand, so I did not really attack you"

  
"Did you want to help me? You did not even know me"

  
"I do not know, it was instinctive, I just did it"

  
"Heck, the only good thing you did at the time kept it hidden," Liam said.

  
"I also saved you and Hayden, I would like to remind you that I was also struck that night"

  
"You did it just because you needed me and Hayden alive"

  
"Maybe"

  
 

Liam looked at him again "But you saved me at the hospital when you decided to be the bait," he added.

 

"It was on that day that I decided I wanted to change, that I wanted to be ... _more human,_ " answered Theo. "When you told me that you were happy that all the riders were hanging out on us, so Scott, Lydia and Malia could have free field, and that I was free to leave, but you would have down fighting. I tought... that I wanted something to protect, I also wanted someone to fight for me that way, so I stayed "

  
"I'm glad you stayed," Liam said. Theo looked at him "Seriously" Liam added, his tone lighter "I would have died at least ten times now if you had not stayed"

 

_Probably it was then that you became my anchor_

 

Theo smiled, then returned to look to the road.

  
"Listen," Liam said, a few minutes later "Tell me at least that you have a driving license."  
 

"Yes, I have it," Theo snorted

  
"And surely you did not sit to a driving school desk for it, did you?"

  
Theo looked at him. "Do you really want to know?"

  
Liam thought for a moment. "Not really"

  
 

_Some hours later_

  
 

"Please stop here, stop!" Liam exclaimed.  
They were going through a tiny and rather quiet little town, while the sky was beginning to turn red.

  
"What do you-?"

  
"I will be right back!" And he flung himself out of the car.

  
When Theo began to think that Liam must have gotten himself into some trouble, and stood there to get out of the car, he saw it go up quickly.

  
Theo looked at him, questioningly. Liam pulled an audio CD out of his pocket.

  
Theo looked at him like he was crazy. "Tell me you did not seriously go down to buy a CD!"

  
"If we have to spend almost two days in this damn car, I pretend to listen at least decent music!"

  
 

_An hour later_

Theo was inside McDonald's for at least half an hour. Liam stood there, with the music of his new CD at full blast, his stomach rumbling and his eyes closing in from sleep. He looked up at the fast food outlet almost every 2 minutes, and when he finally saw Theo coming towards him with a huge envelope in his hands, he let out a sigh of relief.

  
"How long did you take for it!" he exclaimed, grabbing the envelope with both hands.  
Theo came up and took out the things he had taken for himself, leaving the rest to Liam, who flung himself with a hungry smile ... only to be disappointed. "Are you serious?" he did.

  
Theo looked at him, barely managing to keep himself from laughing. "What?"

  
"Did you really get me a Happy Meal?"

  
Theo shrugged, his mouth full. He swallowed and looked at him laughing "A Happy Meal for the little beta, what did you expect?"

  
"You're an asshole"

  
"Thank you"

  
"Now go back inside and get me something decent"

  
Theo made the fake offense "If you do not appreciate what I got for you, you can go there alone to buy you something to eat" Liam growled at him, before getting out of the car.

  
"Ah, take something for me too!" he laughed at Theo

  
"Count on it!"

 

_Forty minutes later_

"Liam!" Theo tried to wake up the beta with a push. Nothing. He snorted. He leaned over him and opened the passenger-side door. Then he returned to his seat, gave the boy another push, rolling him out of the car. Liam woke up with buttons, looking up.

  
"Are you crazy?!"

  
"I knew you were snoring," said Theo only.

  
"Funny" Liam looked around. They were in a parking lot, in front of a dark house. "Where are we? Do you want to kill me and bury my body somewhere?"

  
"Heck, you found out" Theo had meanwhile dropped down and loaded his rucksack on his shoulder. Then he took Liam's and threw it to him. "Get up"

  
"Where we are?" Liam repeated, standing up awkwardly.

  
"What do you think?! it's a motel, is not it?"

  
"A motel, why are we in a motel ?!"

  
"I wonder why people stop in motels ..." Theo said "Maybe ... I do not know ... to sleep?"

  
"We could not sleep in the car?"

  
"The only one who was sleeping was you, and if I have to drive for another twenty hours, I'll do it after resting at least a little"

  
Liam snorted "Okay, but I sleep next to the window"

  
 

*

In the dream he was in the woods. Barefoot, he walked. The only sound was the creaking of the leaves under his feet. The cold gripped his bones, he felt his muscles burn numb. The pale face and the distorted eyes. Nolan walked. He walked, without knowing where he was going.

  
Suddenly something caught his attention. He took a few steps closer to make sure he saw well. There was a grave in front of him.

  
Nolan opened his eyes and read the name engraved on it. He knew that name. Maybe then .... Nolan woke up completely sweaty.

  
 

He had seen it. That name ... that name ... _What was the name_ _?_ Nolan sat up on the bed and put his head in his hands. _He couldn't remember it._ He pulled the covers aside to get some air, and almost had a heart attack. His clothes were wet, the dry leaves clung to them like magnets, and his feet were scratched and bruised. Maybe it was not just a dream ....

  
 

*

It was three o'clock in the morning, when the screeching brakes on the asphalt awakened Liam. The boy snorted turning a couple of times in bed, only to realize a few seconds after Theo was no longer next to him. He sat up quickly and turned on the lamp. He slipped out of bed and looked out the window, holding his breath.

 

Immediately afterwards he felt his body relax. Theo was downstairs, sitting on the porch a few steps from the motel. Liam put on a sweatshirt and shoes and left the room. Theo did not notice his presence, until he stepped on a branch a few yards away from him, making him suddenly turn with an alarmed expression.

  
"Liam, you startled me, damn it," he whispered.

  
"That was the intention," he said, sitting down next to him. "Will you explain me why you're out here in the cold?"

 

Theo looked at him nervously biting his lip "No"

  
Liam rolled his eyes. "You know, the human you is almost worse than the supernatural one," he commented.

  
"Thank you, it's nice to know that some things never change"

  
"You do not know how much I'm dying to punch you in the face, it takes all my willpower to stop me from doing it"

  
"Your affection always moves me," Theo snorted, then jumped up, heading for the railing. He rested his palms and stopped to look at the starry sky. "I was thinking of my parents"

  
 

Liam looked at him questioningly. Theo turned to him. "When I left for a few weeks, that's what I did. I've looked for them”

  
Liam did not expect it. "And..?"

  
"Dead, years ago, my father was an alcoholic, and my mother killed herself by taking an excessive dose of sleeping pills, a few months after me and my sister's disappearance," said Theo. " _I killed them too_ "

  
Liam's eyes widened and he jumped up. "You do not have to think it, it was not your fault"

  
"I killed Tara, this will never change, and they died because of this"

  
"It was doctors' fault, they used you, they manipulated you, you were just a kid," Liam tried to tell him.

  
 

"I killed Tracy and Josh. Also ... all those people who died .. _._ _I killed all of them_ _. I_... _deserve to die_. If Lisa didn't save me that day, this... would be over, ...or better, it would be over earlier, if you didn't save me that day in the hospital from the Ghost Riders, it's better for me to just di-"

  
 

Probably Theo would continue to rant about his death, if Liam had not given him a push so strong to make him hit the ground. Theo looked up at the beta, amazed and at the same time furious. "Are you crazy?!"

  
 

"Shut up!" Liam growled. “Cut that bullshit, kind of a..-!! _You_... came from nowhere, save my ass, then manipulated me, to than save again my fuckin life!! One day you make fun of me, one day you punch me, one day you're here to calm me down ... and I do not even know if I hate you, if I care about you or if I just want to punch you ... _all I know is you are my fucking anchor_ , so do not ever try to say again that you have to die, because if you try to die, I'll kill you with my own hands !! " Theo stood looking at him petrified. Liam took a few deep breaths to try and catch his breath.

  
"I do not believe you just said all this without breathing"

  
"Is that the only thing you have to say?" Liam asked him.

  
Theo looked at him for a moment. "Am I really your anchor?"

  
Liam felt his cheeks turn red and hoped they could not be seen in the dark.

  
"Seriously? I even realized that, and did not you realize that?" Only a moment later he realized that he had insulted himself.

  
Theo looked at him amused. "Good"

  
"Good?"

  
"Yes ... because ... you are my anchor too" Liam was blown-away

  
"Really?"

  
"I was sure you did not realized that," Theo said sarcastically.

  
 

"Hey!"

  
 

"What, you can insult you and I cant?"

  
"Obviously," Liam exclaimed.

  
"Come on, get up." Liam held out his hand and helped him get up.

  
"I think you broke me some ribs, _anchor_ "

  
"I think I'll break some more, _asshole_ "

  
Seriously? Both his wolf and his human must have gone crazy for wanting Theo Reaken as anchor.

  
"Unless ..." Liam added. Theo looked at him amused. "You do not promise to say never again that you should have died," Liam concluded, coming back serious.

  
"All right," Theo agreed. "On one condition."

  
Liam snorted. "I had to imagine it, little manipulator of my boots"

  
Theo held out his hand. Liam looked at it confused. "Wha..?"

  
"I can not sleep if you do not hold my hand" he hesitated.

  
It probably had cost him all his pride to admit it. Liam looked at him almost astonished, wondering if the one in front of him was really Theo. But then a smile slipped on his lips. And he put his hand on Theo's and held her tight. Just for a moment.

 

Then they released the grip. Liam patted his shoulders, and together they walked towards the motel. They were crossing the parking lot, when a noise in the bushes caught Liam's attention and stopped. "What's up?" Theo asked him.

  
 

"Do you not hear it?" Theo snorted.

  
"I remind you that I am human now"

  
Liam did not seem to have heard it. He looked around trying to understand the source of the noise.

  
"There's someone," he whispered, before taking a step toward Theo. He clearly heard the noise of a gun charger. Two pistols. Three ... And in a moment they were surrounded.

  
Liam felt his heart burst. The only thing he could think of was that Theo would not survive a gunshot. That they knew him. They believed it to be a chimera. And yet he was not anymore.

  
 

"No ..." he whispered, trying to shield him with his body.

  
But the hunters were everywhere around them. Ten, fifteen ...? They were too much for him.

  
"Hi Liam," said a familiar voice.

  
Monroe advanced from the rear, with the shotgun in her right hand, stretched out along her side.

  
"You ..." Liam growled, his eyes moving from blue to golden.

  
"I'm glad too to see you again," she commented. Then he turned to the others "Take them"

  
And an instant something had pierced his left shoulder. His eyes, once again blue, intersected with those of Theo before realizing that he was an anesthetic and that he was slowly losing consciousness. "Liam ..." shouted Theo's voice in the distance.

  
Then the darkness.

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED_

 


	9. Haunted

It was a strange tingling in his arms to make Liam come to life.  
When he opened his eyes, he found himself lost for a few seconds, before connecting the brain to reality _. The hunters. Monroe. The guns._ They had taken them. _Theo?_ Liam raised his head and saw the boy tied to a wire mesh right in front of him. He was still unconscious. "Theo!" he called him. He tried to move, but just like his friend, he had his hands locked too . He tried to pull harder, but nothing. "Theo!"  
He tried to calm his breath and focused on the other boy's heart. He was slow. Slow but regular. He did not smell blood, so he was not hurt. Probably he had only been anesthetized like him, but being human it took longer to dispose of it.

  
Liam looked around. They were in a damp and gloomy basement. A few yards from him, the stairs that led to the surface.  
They were alone. This made Liam think that they considered the hypothesis of their escape unattainable. Liam's brain was buzzing, he tried not to panic, he had to stay lucid. They had to get out of there.

  
He had agreed with Mason that he would report to him every five hours. So when Mason did not receive the message, he would certainly be alarmed. What would he do? How would he find them? And when could they resist? Above all, Theo?

  
He did not even know how long they had been locked in there. It could have been an hour, it could have been ten.  
A cough stopped his thoughts. Theo inhaled deeply, before opening his eyes, and coughing again. He looked up in disbelief, before meeting Liam's worried look. "Theo!" he sighed.

  
"Liam" said "It was not like that I wanted to finish the evening"

  
"Ah no, and how did you want to end it?" Liam asked sarcastically.

  
"I was thinking of something more ... quiet"

  
"Dude ... there is no 'quiet' word in our vocabulary"

  
Theo snorted amusedly. He jerked the ropes, uselessly. On the contrary, he immediately protested for the pain. "I did not think I would find myself tied back to this infernal thing"

  
"What's this?" Liam asked

  
"This net is connected to electricity"

  
Liam blanched "Are you kiddin?"

  
"No, and to make sure you are perfectly cooked, be sure to get wet for good"

  
"Do you think it's funny? This time you'll be really cooked, you will not be able to put up with all those volt" Liam exclaimed, trying once more to free himself, this time with more conviction.

  
"It's useless" Theo looked at the ropes "This time they are made of insulating material, the last time I freed myself because the voltage had melted them"

  
"You got a point" said a familiar voice from the top of the stairs.

  
 

Liam turned to Monroe. Theo, unable to turn around, understood who he was by the furious look that passed over his friend's face. "Liam, do not let her provoke you," he whispered.

  
La Monroe stood between them. This time she was not armed, if not for a knife sticking out from a fibony tied to the ankle. "You know, Liam, it's really hard to find you alone, and it was a stroke of luck for us that you decided to come out of your own free will from Beacon Hills. You suddenly made it all easier. Thanks" she said approaching him a few steps. "Nobody knows where you are and this makes you more vulnerable"

  
Liam growled at her "What do you want from us? I guess you did not kill us right away because you want something, and not because you wanted to exchange some kind of talk about old times"

  
"Well why not? After all, I'm still your school counselor," she said sarcastically. Liam growled again. "And if so, let's talk about the future, Liam" She approached him again, his face a few inches from that of the boy. "Where is Scott McCall? What is his plan?"

  
Liam looked at her "I would not even tell you even if I knew"

  
Monroe puffed in amusement. "I know for sure that you know where he is, he's your Alpha, he could never break your bond, and I know he's planning something, _he and Argent_ , I received several blows, they were seen in different cities at a distance days "

  
Liam held the huntress's gaze, but could not prevent a shadow of curiosity from crossing his face. _What were Scott and Argent doing?_ He knew nothing about this. He knew that Scott was in college, and so did everyone else. He knew that Argent was in France to Isaac, nothing more. "I do not know what your sources told you, but they have to be misinformed. Scott simply does what every newly graduated boy does, goes to college, and so does everyone else, " Liam said sarcastically. "And I have no idea where Argent is, he certainly does not tell me about his moves, and if you do not mind, I was on a trip on my own when you and _your_ friends decided to kidnap me and _my_ friend" Liam looked at her defiantly. He heard Theo behind her trying to hold back an amused snort.

  
Monroe gave him a look of pure hatred, and with a dry gesture pressed a button on a remote control that she had tied at the waist.

  
It was as if someone had suddenly decided to set fire to every single nerve in his body. Liam clenched his fists, his sight clouded, and he screamed, his claws stuck in his palms, his eyes colored with gold. It lasted only a few seconds, but it seemed like an eternity.

 

When the Monroe pushed the button again and the flow of power ceased, Liam felt his legs give way to him for a moment and remained hanging from his hands, breathing deeply, and lifting his gaze to the hunter with difficulty.

  
"You can do to me whatever you want ... I will not talk ... but ... do not hurt Theo ... he is human now, he would die ..." he mumbled weakly.

  
"Liam," Theo exclaimed behind him, tugging at the ropes this time without bothering about the pain in his wrists.

  
Monroe seemed to remember of him suddenly and turned to look at him. "Human?" whispered. From the reports, he knew that Theo was a genetic chimera. "Interesting”

 

He walked toward him at a steady pace, pulling out the knife and cutting the ropes with a clean cut. Theo fell to the ground, but Monroe stood behind him, pulling his hair towards her and pointing the knife to his throat.

  
Under normal conditions, perhaps Theo would have defended himself, but he was still dazed by the anesthetic and still had body numb from the hours of inactivity. He had not yet gotten used to managing his human body. "So, tell me where Scott McCall is and what he's plotting, who's he looking for, tell me, or I cut his throat"

  
"No, let him go, he has nothing to do with this!"

  
"Tell me," the huntress told him, pointing the knife at Theo's skin. A drop of blood slid down his neck.

  
"Liam, do not tell her anything!"

  
"I do not _know_ anything!" Liam exclaimed "I do not know what Scott's plans are, I thought he was at college!" For a moment it seemed that the huntress wanted to believe him. She lowered the knife and pushed Theo to the ground. She took the radio from the back pocket of her jeans. "Get off," she ordered.

  
A few moments later, two armed men appeared at the top of the stairs and approached the huntress. "I allow you two hours to decide whether to protect Scott is worth more than your life and that ... of your _human_ friend" Then she turned to the guards nodding toward Theo "Take him, and bring him to the other room"

  
Liam suddenly blanched. "NO! What do you want to do ?!" He tried again to free himself.

  
"Oh nothing, we'll just make sure ... i _t's human,"_ she said with a sneer. "See you in two hours"

  
And she left, leaving Liam to shout Theo's name.

  
 

*

"I do not believe we have to play a lacrosse game at a time like that," Nolan said.

  
"For the rest of the world, this is a day like any other," Corey pointed out, while in the locker rooms they dressed in their scarlet uniform.

  
At that moment the coach came in, whistling in their direction "Holloway, Bryant, where the hell is Dunbar?"

  
Nolan and Corey looked at each other. "He had ... some things to do"

  
"What things? What the hell was he supposed to do more important than lacrosse?" the coach exclaimed.

  
"Um ... I think he said ... he was going to see Kira," Corey said naturally

  
"Yukimura? Is she dead?"

  
"No!"

  
"Is she dying?"

  
"No, coach ..-"

  
"Has she suffered any impairment or almost fatal accident?"

  
"I hope not, coach-"

  
"So, explain to me why Yukimura should be more important than lacrosse!" Corey and Nolan looked at each other again. "Ah damn kids, I had to stay in the clinic pretending to be sick, now I'll have to let Greenberg play"

  
And with that, he left the locker room at the exact moment when Mason entered. "Why did the coach swear in a unknown language to us common mortals?"

  
"Liam just blow him off, and now he will have Greenberg to play," Corey repeated.

  
"We're screwed," said Nolan, taking the racket. "Where's Lisa?"

  
"She's waiting outside, Alec is already in the stands to occupy the seats," said Mason.

  
"Liam?" Corey asked him.

  
"Nothing, I hoped he was just sleeping, but we are already 4 hours out of the limit that we had prescribed, I start to worry"

  
"Did you try to call him?"

  
"Yes, it's detached"

  
"And Theo?"

  
"I do not have his number," said Mason disconsolately as they came out.

  
Lisa went to meet them. "Guys, ready?" she did them

  
"I would rather not have to face a game of lacrosse right now," Nolan sighed again. "I had a dream tonight" he spat out. Everyone looked at him. "I was in the woods and there was a grave with an engraved name"

  
"A name? What name?" Mason exclaimed

  
"That's the problem, I do not remember!" Nolan preferred to avoid the part where he had actually gone barefoot through the woods.

  
"Did you say in the woods? Where?" Lisa asked him.

  
"I do not know, it was near a big oak tree, and there was a big stock ..."

  
"Near the creek?" Lisa asked him.

  
"I do not know, maybe ... why?"

  
"No nothing, it's just ... a feeling," she replied. She closed his eyes to concentrate.

  
_It's ... cold ...He.. hel.. p..me.._

  
"Lisa" Nolan's voice brought her back to reality.

  
"Are you alright?" Corey made her worried.

  
"Yeah, I was just ... distracted"

  
"Come on or you'll be late," Mason urged them.

  
 

As he and Lisa headed off the stands from Alec, Nolan and Corey entered the field.  
Lisa took a seat, but with her mind she was elsewhere. It was almost ... pleasant ... close eyes and hear the memories flowing, as if you had really lived them. She breathed in and did it again, while the referee whistled at the start of the game.

  
 

_"You can not play,, you should take the ball with your racket, not with your teeth" the girl laughed "You're even worse than Stiles" "I'm not worse than Stiles, no one is worse than Stiles" the child answered, pulling the ball violently . "You're a wimp" "Stop laughing at me"_

 

Thent the memory changed. _The mother looked at the child with severity. "Your sister said that you insulted her in front of everyone today" "She made fun of me in front of everyone!" cried the child, pointing to the sister who was sneaking him on the couch. "She always makes fun of me, she treats me like an dummy !! Even you think I'm stupid, you think she's perfect!" he continued, with tears in his eyes. "Always 'your sister here, your sister there' ...." The child looked at his sister with fury "I hate you ... I wish you died!"_

Then it changed again. _She was bathed from head to toe, immersed in a stream. Something that he had injected prevented her from moving. She looked up at the bridge. His brother was there, standing and looking at her. "Help ... me ..." He looked at her for an impassive moment, then spoke, more to himself than to her "I wish you die" And she hated him. That burning hatred that warmed her limbs, now numb by the icy water of the stream ..._

Lisa opened her eyes. Her breath was missing. "Lisa, are you okay?" Alec said to her.

  
Lisa looked at the two boys "She's here" she whispered terrified.  
"She? Who's here? " Mason asked, holding his breath

  
"The shadow. I _felt_ her"

  
 

*

"Is it coming here?"

  
"It will not resist a concentration of emotions like that," Lisa replied, eyes wide.

  
"An easy snack," Alec commented, looking around. There were at least two hundred people in that lacrosse camp.

  
"What are we doing?" Mason whispered.

  
"Find a way to evacuate people, I will handle the shadow," Lisa said, getting up

  
"No, what do you want to do?" Mason stopped her by taking her by the arm

  
"I've already done it, I've already beaten it once, remember?" she answered, trying to sound confident, Mason looked at her for a moment, then slowly let go, and she ran away.  
 

"So, what do we do?" Alec asked him.

  
"Come with me"

  
Lisa slid down from the stands. She had said she was confident she would do it, but she was not confident at all. Now she understood what was happening. And if it was like she thought, there was only one possible solution. Only one way to put an end to that story once and for all. Lisa clenched her fists. And she turned to the field, looking for Nolan. It was at that moment that all the irrigators on the field exploded, flooding the field. Lisa rolled her eyes "What the hell are they doing?"

 

*  
  
"Are you sure, Mason?"

  
"Go"

  
"So can I break it?"

  
"Break this fucking switch"

 

Alec obeyed.

  
He heard someone shouting and approaching them dangerously. They looked at each other for a moment, before throwing them back towards the camp.

  
People in the stands had already begun to leave. Someone was wrapped in coats trying to cover themselves from the splashes of water carried by the wind. Nolan and Corey, completely wet, looked at each other without understanding, until Lisa joined them.

  
"What happens?"

  
"The shadow is coming here"

  
"Was it a decoy?" asked Corey, watching the rain of water fall on them, while the referee whistled the suspension of the game, the coach who cursed. "Mason's plan definitely", he later commented.

  
"What do we do now?" Nolan asked, widening his eyes.

  
"I'll take care of it, I'll deal with it," Lisa assured him.

  
Nolan looked at her. "Are you sure?"

  
"Guys" Corey looked up at a high point behind them. The two turned slowly.

  
The shadow approached, triple in size than last time. It seemed like a storm approaching at accelerated speed. Someone else noticed it. Someone screamed. The few remaining in the field ran away.

  
The only ones who ran in the opposite direction were Mason and Alec. "Woh" Alec said looking up. "Am I wrong or has grown slightly?"

  
"It will have absorbed more energy," said Mason.

  
The water continued to fall like thin rain, the shadow spreading high above them. February's icy wind whipped their wet faces. The sky suddenly dark. It seemed like the judgment night.  
As if confirming this, a thunderbolt crashed a few meters from them.

 

"Woh" The group scattered, to get away from the puddles of water.

  
"Nice move, that of the sprinklers," shouted Alec to Mason, who was a few feet away from him along with Corey.

  
"You did not seem to be against it when you had to break the switch"

  
"Apparently, our friend has some new power," Nolan said.

  
"Nolan, listen to me" Lisa grabbed him by the shoulders and made him turn towards her.

 

"You have to find that grave, I feel it's important, she's looking for it, too. You have to find it before her, "she told him, almost in despair.

  
"What are you saying?"

  
" _It's me_ " Lisa looked at him. "I'm her bridge to the real world, it's me she want to possess"  
 

Nolan blanched. "Wha..?"

  
"When she's inside me, stop her from finding what she's looking for, and as soon as you get the sword back, seal both of us, do you understand?"

  
"No, what's with you-?"

  
"It's the only way, I'm the only one she can possess, and as Deaton said, she absorbed all those essences to make sure I could not fight her anymore"

  
"No.."

  
"I share her memories, I remember what she remembers, the stronger she gets, the more I _become_ her, only when she is in me, she can be sealed, do it!"

  
"Lisa ..." Nolan started to say, his voice trembling in despair.

  
But Lisa silenced him by putting her lips on his. "I would have liked to go on a normal date." She smiled at him, a sweet, gentle smile that made his heart tighten.

  
Then she got up and ran to the shadow. "Lisa!"

  
*

 

Liam could hear Theo's screams of pain. The rumble in his ears, and at every cry, he felt the calm slip away. Theo ... What were they doing? Why did they do all this? Liam felt the hatred flowing in him. If anything happened to Theo, he would find them, one by one, and he would kill them all, from first to last.

  
In an instant, he found himself wondering how he could do it without Theo. _Theo who was his anchor. Theo that prevented him from losing control. Theo who teased him. The only one who did not look at him like a bomb ready to explode, or a defenseless puppy to protect. Theo .... who had just started to live again._

 

Liam roared, a loud audible roar miles away probably. For a moment, just for a moment, his eyes sparkled with a scarlet red, and with a dry gesture he broke the ropes that bound him. At that moment, an armed hunter came in through the door.

 

From the top of the stairs he saw that Liam had freed himself and shot him in the chest. Liam staggered back, but growled again in the direction of the enemy, who reloaded his rifle and fired another shot. Liam dodged the bullet and lunged up the stairs, pushing the man against the wall. Then he grabbed him by the shirt and pulled him down the stairs.

  
 

"Liam" Monroe's voice came from behind him. He turned to face the woman, flanked by ten other armed men. "You have no chance to escape" But seemed amazed "I did not think you could free yourself"

  
Liam growled at her in response. He had lost all clarity.

  
"Shoot him down," the Monroe ordered. Then she looked at him with hatred. "I will kill you, _everyone_ , you, your _alpha_ , every _chimera_ , every _beta_ , _omega_ that you gather in the street ... _banshee, kanima, or wendigo_ ... _kitsune or druid_ ... I will kill you, everyone! And I will take down every single _human being_ who will try to protect you ... starting with that _traitor_ of Nolan "At that point Liam hurled himself at them.

  
*

  
 

"Lisa, no!" Nolan started to throw himself against the shadow, when Alec came out of nowhere and plagued him.

  
"Hey bitch," the girl shouted, looking at the shadow. "It's me you want, isnt me?, so come get me!"

  
"What the hell is she doing ?!" Corey shouted, reaching Nolan with Mason. Alec holding his friend.

  
“She decided to let be possessed! We have to stop her!" Nolan shouted.

  
But the shadow had welcomed the provocation of Lisa and had launched against her. Lisa raised her hands as if to protect herself, but it was at that point that the shadow collided with her, generating electrostatic energy discharges that invaded the entire area.

  
Alec dragged Nolan back. The rain continued to wet them, the wind was pulling even louder. "We have to get away !!" Mason shouted

  
"No, we can not let her do it! She wants us to seal her with the ghost !!" Lisa screamed exhausted by the effort of holding back the shadow, her golden eyes, the sweat flowing down her face, mingling with the water.

  
"Go away!!" she screamed with the last remaining strength. Lisa fell to her knees, and the shadow disappeared into her body.

  
Suddenly there was silence.

  
The sky was clearer now that the sun was no longer obstructed by the shadows. Everyone was silent, waiting. The only noise was the water that fell through the sprinklers. Alec left Nolan, who took a step forward "Lisa?" whispered.

  
She stayed a second motionless. Then she stood up slowly, and turned around, her eyes closed. She breathed deeply. "Lisa?" she repeated.

  
Alec and Corey stepped back. Mason looked at them. "That's not Lisa," Alec said.

  
Nolan looked at her in despair. She smiled, a cold and cynical smile, so different from Lisa's. And she opened his eyes, revealing pitch-black pupils.

  
"Yeah, Lisa is gone"

  
 

*

Liam knock one out with a fist. He grabbed another by the neck, pulling it against two others, rolling them to the ground like skittles. One, two shots. One hit him on the shoulder but ignored him. The second hit him in the right ankle causing him to fall to the ground.

 

At that moment he heard other shots coming from the upper floor. Even Monroe and the other men looked up in amazement.

  
Liam took advantage of the moment of distraction to pop up and disarm one of the men. He kicked it away and used the shotgun to hit another behind the back of the head.

  
Meanwhile, the Monroe had withdrawn behind the wall and communicated with the radio "What's upstairs?" No reply.

 

Liam prayed that Mason had found them. He did not know how long he could hold on again. He had to face four others.

  
He opened the door that was on his right to find shelter behind when a volley of bullets flew toward him.

 

Liam was panting trying to catch his breath. He had injuries to his legs and shoulder, but they were already healing. It seems they hadn't used yellow wolfbane

  
He heard noises of struggle. Two more shots. He went out into the open to find that someone had already knock out two of the hunters. And probably the third one was ruined down the stairs with his assailant.

 

The last one aimed his rifle at Liam. Liam took a step back. He rolled his eyes when Theo, battered and limping, appeared from the door behind the man with a rifle in his hand, and planted a bullet in his chest.

 

"Where did you learn to shoot?" he asked him relieved. Theo looked at him amused, before falling to the floor unconscious.

  
"Theo!" Liam started to run towards him, but he felt something sting his back. The familiar tingling invaded his body and felt body weak and heavy again. He fell to his knees.

 

"Theo ..." he whispered, the steps of the Monroe approaching.

  
Was it Monroe? _No, there was someone else._ He heard quick steps, running. Then, as sleep enveloped him, he heard a shot, and the sounds of struggle.

 

They seemed light years faraway.

  
"Liam!" Someone shouted. He heard someone grab him by the shoulders.

  
"..Theo?"

  
"Liam, we're here now, everything will be alright!" Other steps. "Go see how Theo is"

  
Liam seemed to fight the anesthetic, and in the last glimmer of clarity, he looked into his eyes his savior. His name slipped out of his lips as if it were a prayer

  
" _Scott_ "

  
 

CONTINUA.

  
 


	10. Mirrored

_"Liam, wake up"_

  
"Ugh ... just another minute .. Mom!"

  
" _Liam_ " Scott's voice came loud and clear in his ears. He opened his eyes wide and jumped up. He looked at his alpha leaning over him.

  
"Scott!" Liam looked at him surprised. "Scott, are you ... is it you for real?"

  
"Of course it's me, who should I be? Your mother?" he asked sarcastically, sitting down next to him. Liam realized at that moment that they were in the armored truck of Argent, sitting in the back. Theo was lying on the bench in front of him.

  
"Theo" Liam approached him.

  
He was wrecked. His face and forearms were full of bruises and cuts, his lip and his right eyebrow split. Theo made a cough, and inhaled, then turned to Liam.

  
"Those sons of a bitch," he commented.

  
"When we get to Beacon Hills, we'll take him to the hospital," Scott assured him.

  
Liam could hardly hold back the tears. If he was doing it, it was just to preserve the little dignity he had left. So he turned away from the boy and pointed it on the alpha. "How did you find us? How did you know we were there?" Scott hesitated a second

  
"Tell him" Theo said " I'm already wiped"

 

Liam looked first at Theo then Scott "It was Theo who warned me"

  
"What?" Liam asked, amazed "And when?"

  
"A few days ago"

  
Liam looked at Theo in amazement. "I can not believe it, I explicitly forbade you to do it"

  
"And I could explicitly care less," Theo mumbled, struggling to stay awake.

  
"Theo told me about the ghost, and yesterday he warned me that you were leaving Beacon Hills to go look for Kira, so I thought I'd get ahead of you"

  
"Get ahead?" Liam asked

  
"Who do you think is driving this van?"

  
Liam turned abruptly to peer over the window. At the same moment, Kira slowed down and turned to him with a smile. "Hi Liam"

  
"Kira! Wow, guys, you do not know how good it is to get you back here"

  
"But Theo said you did not want to call us," laughed Scott

 

"I thought you were enjoying the peaceful life in college! But now I find out ... that you and Argent ... and I do not know who else ... you are plotting I do not know what ..." Liam exclaimed in astonishment.

  
"We wanted to tell you, but we thought ... that you deserve to enjoy the last months of school, graduate in peace ..." Scott said

  
"Yes, in fact we are really enjoying them, a real hoot," commented Theo, snorting

  
"He has not lost the habit of making acid comments," Scott whispered to Liam.

  
"It's always Theo," Liam said simply.

  
"So ... what would you have wanted to tell us, but did you think to spare us for the diploma?" Theo asked impatiently. "I would like to know why I was beaten to death"

  
Scott sighed "You realized that the Monroe has not given up, rather, she is reorganizing," explained the alpha. "And we try to do the same, let's put on an army"

  
"How?" Liam was more and more curious.

  
 

"Well, we go everywhere to look for support, Argent is in France, Isaac has his own pack and can get in touch with others, Jackson and Ethan are in London, and recruit as many people as possible. Derek is in South America. He has old friends over there and wants to convince them to stand on our side, Noshiko is in China, Kira has continued to stay with the Skinwalker "

  
"They are hard to convince" Kira commented from the front "But maybe I did it"

  
"Braeden goes around looking for hunters, not everyone is on the Monroe side, and someone is ready to take our side, like Argent, when she finds them, she gets to know where the packs are settled in America, and Malia and I go there, we move a bit everywhere for the negotiations. And we take care to recover the omega, we assign them a pack, no one has to be alone, Lydia and her mother go around the schools, with the excuse of some ... orientation, i guess ... and they're looking for supernatural creatures ... Stiles has less chance of movement, since it's in the FBI's program, but has access to information that otherwise we could not have ... And Peter ... that's why no hunter has attacked you in recent months "

  
"What do you mean?"

 

"He stayed to protect the borders of Beacon Hills"

  
"Seriously, is Peter in Beacon Hills?"

  
"He's good at hiding when he wants," Scott said.

  
"It's incredible, are you doing all this?" Liam was amazed.

  
"You should have told us," said Theo.

  
"Well, you did have your dose of problems in Beacon Hills"

  
"What a new," Liam said.

  
"Anyway, we kept this shelter under control, and when Theo stopped reporting, we came to check in. Then I heard your roar and I knew you were here"

  
Liam looked at Scott first, then Theo "Well maybe you were right to call Scott"

  
Theo made a strange line between a cough and a lament, which sounded like "Dunderhead"

  
 

*

"It will not end well," Mason commented.

  
Lisa, possessed version, was in front of them, with a satisfied grin on her face. Alec growled at her, his golden eyes, pulling his fangs out.

  
"What happened to Lisa?" exclaimed Nolan, in the direction of the girl.

  
"Gone," she said sarcastically "She was just a means to an end. Ammit thought she could trap me again, but she did not reckon with my powers, I became stronger than her, and I won "

  
Nolan shuddered. Looking at those black eyes, bottomless, was like looking death in the face. "Who are you? what do you want?"

  
 

"I just want... _more power_ _"_

"I will give you, the power!!" Alec jumped up against the shadow, but she easily dodged it, grabbing him by the hair and kneeing him on the stomach. Alec twisted to the ground, but she grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and lifted him up like a twig.

  
Nolan, Corey, and Mason held their breath, helpless. The shadow was too strong. She had absorbed the power of not knowing how many supernatural creatures. Even at that moment Alec felt his powers slip slowly out of his body and become weaker and weaker.

With a decisive gesture, the shadow casts Alec far.

  
"Well, I'll have to change the plan, first I'll kill you, then I'll go look for it"

Alec watched the girl approach slowly, when suddenly a silver-gray wolf did fly into the shadows. She ruined to the ground, while the wolf stood in a fighting position between her and Alec.

  
"But that ..." Mason said. Nolan looked at him.

  
Alec stared at the wolf in astonishment. No wait ... it was not a wolf. _It was a coyote._

 

" _Malia"_ exclaimed Mason and Corey at the same time. It gave a snarl of assent.

The shadow seemed amazed by the arrival of Malia. "Malia, did you say?" she confused.  
"Scott's Malia?" Alec asked, as amazed as she was. Malia turned to lightning him.

 

"Scott? _Scott McCall?"_ the shadow said. Mason tried to think. _Does she know_ _Scott?_

Malia growled at her, before shooting forward. The shadow jumped back. And they kept chasing each other across the field, Malia trying to bite her and she avoiding it. Malia snarled at her.

  
"What is she doing?" Nolan asked. Alec looked at the two.

  
The shadow did everything to avoid contact with the coyote, and suddenly understood "Can not absorb the powers of animals"

  
Mason looked at him. "Damn!" Mason exclaimed. "That's why she only took Theo's powers"

  
"He was the only one of us able to shift"

  
"It's because animals do not feel emotions like human, they act instinctively," Nolan exclaimed.

  
"So if Lisa were transformed, could she no longer be possessed?" Alec asked as if it were the most normal thing in the world.

  
Mason turned to look at him jerkily, and grabbed him by the shoulders. "You are a genius"  
 

"What does it mean? Lisa can not turn into a wolf"  
 

"Lisa can't, but Theo does"

  
"Are you rambling?" Corey began to worry.

  
"The shadow has Theo's powers, the shadow is in Lisa, Lisa has Theo's powers," Mason explained.

  
"But Lisa is possessed," Nolan pointed out.

  
"Yes, but it does not mean that her essence is not somewhere in there, I know what I say, it was like that for me and the Beast ... it was enough that ..."

  
"Lydia called you" completed Corey, with a shadow of awareness that finally crossed his face.

  
"But Lydia is not here!" exclaimed Nolan.

  
"We do not need Lydia, we need a Banshee," said Mason.

  
"We have a Banshee!" exclaimed Alec.

  
Nolan looked at them as if he no longer understood anything.

  
 

At that moment Malia howled. A warning howl. Everyone turned to her. _Too late._

  
 

Nolan collapsed to the ground with a groan. Malia took advantage of this to bite the shadow at her throat.

  
"Do not kill her!" Alec cried, bending over Nolan. Malia growled and let go. The shadow kicked her violently, looked around a couple of times as if to assess the situation, then disappeared into a cloud of black smoke.

  
"What the hell...?"

  
"She apparently also kept some of its ghost powers," said Corey.

  
They all bent over Nolan. Malia returned with a human click, and joined them, regardless of the fact of being completely naked.

  
"Do not touch him, she hits him with a poisoned loop, he's paralyzed"

  
"What can we do?" Alec paled.

  
"Let's take him to Deaton, I've warned the others, they'll join us there"

  
"Others?" Mason exclamed "What others?"

  
 

*

"Do not worry, Liam, I'll warn you as soon as he finishes with the medications, go to Deaton with the others" Liam was hesitant.

  
He would have preferred not to leave Theo alone in those conditions. Malia had contact Scott and had made a quick summary of the situation. It was bad. Nolan was paralyzed. Lisa was possessed by the shadow. And she was who knows where.

 

"Do not worry, he'll be safe, she doesnt know he's here, and we do not know if he's her goal," Scott assured him. Though not convinced, Liam nodded and followed him out, leaving Theo in Melissa's hands.

  
The others were all from Deaton. When they entered, Malia went to meet them and hugged Scott, and then fling herself on Kira. And he did not even spare Liam.

  
"Scott!" Alec hugged the older boy.

  
"Guys, I'm sorry to see you again in such a situation"

  
"It will be time later for the greetings," Malia said immediately. "Here we have a problem"

  
Liam looked at Nolan lying on the table. "How is he?"

  
"He's just paralyzed, I gave him an antidote, it will take effect soon"

  
"The shadow wanted to stop him from shouting," Mason explained. Everyone looked at him.

  
"It looks like it works like for the Beast," Malia added in simple words. "Calling she should wake up"

  
"Yes, for enough time to turn into a wolf"

  
"Into a wolf?"

  
"Yes, long story, but the shadow can not absorb or possess animals, so when Lisa is a wolf, she can not control her anymore"

  
"This will not solve the problem," Kira said. "We can not seal it, if it's not in a physical body ..."

  
"Okay, first of all, let's think about the girl," Scott said. "Kira, you take care of the sword, can you put it together quickly?"

  
"I can try"

  
"And this ghost ...? What do you know about it?"

  
 

"Not much" Liam said dejectedly. "We hypothesized that it's someone dead because of the supernatural and who has a strong grudge against someone from whom he has been betrayed." He did not tell him they suspected it could be Allison.

  
"Nolan knows who she is" Everyone turned to Mason. "He said he dreamed of a grave with an engraved name, but he can not remember"

  
Scott and Malia looked at each other.  
"The grave ..." Nolan mumbled. Everyone moved on him

  
"Nolan!" exclaimed Alec.

  
Nolan swallowed hard, could not move his body, but he had started talking again.

  
"The grave ... Lisa said that the shadow wants to find her. She said to stop her "

  
Deaton was careful. "Does she want the grave?"

  
 

Liam asked. "Why never?"

  
Deaton shrugged. "I'm not an expert, the druids have explained me some practices, but it's all very relative, I do not know what you can actually believe"

  
Scott looked upset.

  
"Okay, we find this grave before her. If she wants it, we want it more," Malia said.

"Nolan knows who she is, he just forgot it," Scott said, looking at Malia. "You could try hypnosis, with us it worked when we tried to remember Stiles"

  
"Okay, I, Kira and Malia think of the sword"

  
"Let's go, my father hasthe pieces. The sheriff gave it to him when Liam destroyed it "

  
"Guys." Liam said. "I wanted to tell you ... I'm sorry, it's all my fault, this mess"

  
"It's not your fault, Liam," Kira said. "I should not have twisted the balance, opening that gap, I abused my powers, the Skinwalkers had warned me"

  
"No matter whose fault it is, what matters is settling things," Scott said. Everyone nodded.

 

"Mason, Corey, Alec, stay here, and think about Nolan. He must remember where the grave is and who we fight." Then he turned to Liam. "Liam, go to Theo, take him and go to Derek's loft, probably the shadow does not know that place, you should be safe, we take the sword and reach you"

  
 

*

When he entered the room, Theo was sitting on the bed. Melissa had just finished wrapping his wrist. "Hey," Liam greeted him timidly.  
 

"Hey," the other answered, looking at him with what seemed like curiosity.

  
"Whenever you want, go and sign and you can go," Melissa told him, before leaving the room, brushing Liam's shoulder.

  
Liam approached cautiously. "How do you feel?" he asked him.

  
"As if a train had hit me"

  
"How do you feel when a train hits you?" Liam asked him, amused.

  
"Like me now," answered Theo, trying to get up, unable to hold back a grimace of pain. "I feel ridiculous," he commented.

  
"Theo ..." Liam began, avoiding looking at him. "...I'm sorry"

  
Theo looked at him surprised as they left the room. "For what?"

  
"Well ... for dragging you into that situation, I thought it was the safest place, but ... it was just the opposite"

  
"You have nothing to apologize for!" exclaimed Theo brusquely. He took the sheets Melissa had prepared for him and signed them quickly. "I'll be human, but I'm not that fragile, and surely ... it's not your fault if Monroe is out of mind"

  
Theo looked at him with even more curiosity on his face. Theo looked at the frowned and sorry face of the beta, and sighed. "I'm sorry too," he said then, turning his back to him and walking out of the hospital, out into the cold night air.

  
Liam looked at him in amazement, following him closely. "Did you just say 'I'm sorry'?"

  
"Yes and I will not repeat it"

  
"And for what, excuse me?"

  
"For everything, for disobeying you and calling Scott ..."

  
"You were right in the end," Liam admitted. "If you had not called him we would have died down there"

  
Theo shrugged. "I'm still wrong, do not I? And human beings admit their faults ... or at least they say so" Liam made an amused snort "And ... I'm sorry, even for all the rest. I never really apologized " Liam stared at him "For using you to get to Scott"  
"You do not have to apologize," Liam said. "Do you know why I was the first to forgive you, the first to not want to send you back?"

 

Liam stopped at the edge of the deserted road, face to face with the other. Theo looked at him wide-eyed, as if he did not expect Liam to open that speech.

  
"Because I never thought you manipulated me" It was the truth. "It's true, you suggested that Scott bite Hayden to save her, but it was he who refused, I was the one who raged, I was the one who decided to attack him, it was _me_ who almost killed him. It was easy to blame you, to hate you as if you were forcing me, to follow the rest of the pack ... it was easier than to admit that _I_ was the real monster, the angry kid who can not be controlled " he admitted, keeping his gaze low.

  
"Liam ..."

  
"That's why you're my anchor," he continued. He had to say it, or he would not have the courage anymore. Theo looked at him even more confused. "When I look at my parents, I see myself in their eyes like ... a bomb ready to explode every moment, like a clinical case ... When I look at Scott, I see the perfect alpha that everyone is ready to follow, in which everyone believes. When I look at Mason, I see the most intelligent, sensitive and generous guy I know, but you're messed up, brusque, violent, jerk, manipulator- "

”-Ah thank you"

"-but sometimes you're naive and childish like a kid. When I look at you, I see someone imperfect ... _as I am_. Someone who looks like me. Someone who does not consider me as a violent teenager ready to destroy the car of the first teacher who treats him badly, who does not consider me as a defenseless puppy to protect or a werewolf who can not keep control with the full moon. You make fun of me, you annoy me, you laugh at me, you laugh _with_ me ... as if I was any very ordinary seventeen-year-old teenager. I understood that day at the zoo. You punched me, but I did not lose control, like I did with Nolan a few moments later. Anyone else would have unleashed all my supernatural rage ... but you ... somehow you only unleash my human rage. Maybe it's a different way of considering it ... but that's when I realized you were my anchor "

  
 

Theo was speechless. He felt his heart hammering in his chest. A heat never felt that was irradiated throughout the body. _Is this what it feels like to be important for someone? To feel protected .... loved?_

Theo did not remember the warmth of a house, the warmth of a family, that feeling of unconditional love ... but, he thought, he had to look a little like what he felt at that moment. _He felt at home._

 

"You're the only person in the world I've ever wanted to protect," he whispered suddenly, or feared he would never say it. "I think I see the old me in you, everything that the doctors took away from me, all I lost ... I found it in you. You were the only one to give me a second chance, even if I did not deserve it ... _I did not deserve it_ , but you freed me ... _I did not deserve it_... but you saved my life that day at the hospital ... _I was practically dead before I met you_ "  
The two stood there looking at each other for a moment, both with their faces on fire. "It's not true that you do not deserve it," Liam said. "You think you've manipulated us ... maybe it's true, but who was really manipulated ... it was you, Theo ... You wanted power, you wanted to be strong ... and the Doctors taught you that that was the only one way you could get it ... Maybe it does not matter said by me ... but if you need forgiveness to move on, then ... _you're forgiven_ "

  
"It's not like that." Liam looked at him almost as though he wanted to retort violently.

 

"It matters," Theo said instead, with a shy smile.

  
 

*

"Can you sit up?" Deaton helped Nolan to sit on the table. Corey had placed a candle in front of him.

  
"Yes, I can do it Lets start! We do not have much time," Nolan exclaimed.

  
"Good" Mason nodded to Deaton, then he, Corey and Alec stepped aside. "Look at the candle, Nolan. Watch it, the slow movement of the flame almost seems to lull you ... "Deaton whispered, his voice slow and well-balanced. Nolan obeyed. "Close your eyes, let my voice guide you, you're in the woods, you can see the trees, you feel the wind moving the leaves, you walk slowly, one step at a time ... can you see it?" It was working. Nolan nodded almost imperceptibly. "What do you see?"

  
Nolan was silent for a few seconds. "I hear the flow of water ... the water ..." He suddenly remembered the dream. The water that invaded the corridor, which descended along the wall. "I'm near the stream," he said.

  
"Keep walking," Deaton suggested. "You do know where you have to go"

  
Mason took a sheet of paper and a pencil and placed it in front of Nolan. "It usually works like that," he whispered to Alec.

  
"See the grave?"

  
"I see it..."

  
"Come closer, do you know where you are?"

  
"Yes ..." Nolan's voice trembled, and the body quivered.

  
"Nolan, whose grave is it?" Nolan opened his eyes wide.

  
"Oh again, it's disturbing when it does that," Alec complained. Nolan took the pencil in a trance. And he began to write, write, write .... Everyone approached waiting. Until Nolan lowered the pencil. "Now he faint," Alec whispered. And in fact he fainted.

 

Deaton steadied him and laid him down on the table. Mason grabbed the paper and turned it to read it. Nolan had filled the whole page with a single repeated word.

 

_Aratarataratarataratarataratarataratarataratarataratarataratarat_

" _Arat?_ What's it? Latin?" Alec asked

  
 

_How had they not got there before?_

  
 

"It's not latin” Mason squeezed the paper tightly. "It's a name"

*

"Liam" Theo thought that perhaps it was the case that they stopped standing there motionless in front of the other in the middle of the street, but he also thought that if that was the moment of confessions, then there was something else he had to say. "I ... there's another thing actually ... that I should tell you ..." he began.

  
Liam looked at him curiously. Theo looked down, shifting the weight from one foot to the other to fight the embarrassment of the moment. "Well ..."

  
He finally looked up at the boy, only to see his curious expression change abruptly into a surprised expression, then into a grimace of pain. Theo looked at him bewildered. "Liam, what-?"

  
Then he saw it, the red spot spreading across the boy's chest, the blade of a dagger barely visible at his stomach. The dagger drew back, as if it had its own will, and Liam collapsed to the ground. Theo looked shocked at the scene, not knowing what was happening.

  
In front of him, as if by magic, Lisa appeared, her eyes black as pitch. Theo stepped back.  
"Interesting, this thing of invisibility," she said almost to herself, turning the dagger in her hands. "Yellow wolfbane, I do not think he will be saved," he commented, throwing a pitiful look at Liam.

  
"You- Who-?"

  
"But how?" she said with an amused grin, which was so familiar to him. "Have you already forgotten about me ... _little brother_?"

  
 

“ _Tara.”_

TO BE CONTINUED.


	11. Grave

Scott paced nervously up and down the Derek loft. _"Did you just said Tara?"_ exclaimed, stopping suddenly. Malia and Kira looked up at him.  
"That Tara? Theo's ... dead sister?" Malia whispered to her friend. Kira answered her with a shocked look.  
"Scott, where are Liam and Theo?" Mason's voice was on speakerphone. "Liam had to go to get him to the hospital and come here," Scott answered, worried now. "But they have not arrived yet"  
"We have to find them, Tara wants Theo"  
"But she will not kill him," added Deaton's voice, probably next to Mason.  
"What do you mean" she will not kill him "?" Malia said, struggling to hold back a bitter laugh. "He killed her, if I were her, I would like to tear his heart out with my hands!"  
"If it's true that she wants the grave, for some obscure reason, Theo is the only one who knows where it is ..." replied the vet.  
"You have to find them," Mason added again, his voice trembling with agitation.  
"Well, family meeting" A voice behind them forced them all to turn around.  
"Ahh dad!" Malia snapped, exasperated.  
"If you're looking for the beta, it's here" Peter let them pass, Liam was slumped along the wall, his chest bleeding. "Yellow wolfbane, we will need a good flame"  
Scott leaned over Liam as Peter crossed the room to the desk. "Liam, everything will be fine," Scott assured him.  
"Scott ... it's Tara," he mumbled, his face questioned by the sweat.  
"We know, do not worry ..."  
"She took Theo," he said softly. "Scott ... we have to save him ... He ..."

"Liam, do not force yourself” the alpha said him , grabbing him by the shoulder. In response, Liam squeezed a piece of the shirt pulling him tight, or at least how strong he could at such a moment. "Scott ... _we have to save him_ ," he said in a faint voice, a desperate expression that mingled with the physical pain on his face.  
Peter approached, the blowtorch in his hand, and turned it on. "It will not be pleasant, I say it from experience"

  
 

*

"How is Liam?" Mason said, worried, when Scott and Peter returned to the large hall.  
"He's resting," Scott said only.  
"What's going on now?" Alec asked. Malia and Kira looked at each other, sitting on the sofa.  
"It seems obvious to me that we have to save Theo, and to do that we have to save Lisa first," Nolan said.  
"We already have a plan for that," said Alec.  
"And once she becomes a shadow-devour-anime again, how do you think of sending it back to hell?" asked Malia sarcastic.  
"Er ... there's no plan for that part of the plan," the wolf replied.  
"Perfect"  
"We do not even know where they are"  
"If she wants the grave they'll be in the woods," Kira suggested.  
"Wait, did you say grave?" interrupted Peter, who had remained aloof so far. "I think I understand"  
Malia snapped to her feet. "If you know something, talk, we have no time to waste"  
"I guess I never told you about the fascinating way I came back to life," he said sarcastically.  
Scott looked at him. "You talk about when you manipulated Lydia to force her to take Derek on your ..." The boy broke off.  
"What?" asked Malia.  
"You say she wants to get her real body back?"  
"What's the use of it? She already has one," said Mason.  
"Yes, but maybe in Lisa's body she does not have full powers," suggested Corey.  
"It's not like that, even if it owns that girl, that thing remains a shadow made of resentment and a desire for revenge. She knows no other feeling, the only logic that follows is that. Lisa is probably a means to an end. to return to her true body, the same one that Theo has killed. In his mind distorted by the desire of revenge that is the only body with which she can truly implement her plan "  
"Like brother like sister," Malia commented. "Psychosis is a family characteristic"

"So that's why she wants the grave, there are her remains here, and Theo will contribute with his blood because he is the only relative in life," Kira summarized.  
"There is another requirement: the full moon," added Peter  
"Which is in three days," Alec concluded.  
"We could let her get her body back," Nolan suggested. Everyone looked at him "So Lisa will be free, and we will seal the real Tara in hell"  
"The shadow you have faced will be nothing compared to what you will find to fight if she get her real body back," Peter exclaimed.  
"And that would mean ... sacrifice Theo," Mason added.  
"Since when is Theo's salvation one of our priorities?" exclaimed Malia  
"Liam would never forgive us," Alec said weakly. Malia looked at him questioningly.  
"He's right," Scott said, marveling her even more "You do not know how he looked at me ..." he did "when he told me about Theo .. he begged me to save him ... he seemed ... he was desperate"  
Mason was silent for a moment. "Things have changed now," he said, while everyone turned to look at him.  
"Theo has changed," added Corey, thinking to help.

"It's not just that," Mason added, looking first at the boy then at all the others. " _Theo is his anchor"_  
Malia, Scott and Kira looked at him as if he were crazy "What ?!" blurted the coyote "How the hell could it happen ?!"  
"I do not even know if Liam noticed it, but it's obvious, Liam is calm only if Theo is with him, and that's not all"  
"What's worse?" asked the girl  
"I think ... Liam is Theo's anchor too"  
The guys looked back at each other in shock, and this time Peter was added to them, who took a step forward. "Are you sure what you say?"  
"What's so absurd?" Nolan asked.

"A werewolf that chooses as his anchor another werewolf is already a rarity ... but that is even returned ... I thought I would never have lived enough to see such a thing," Peter exclaimed.  
"Why? What does it mean?"  
"It is the human being who clings to an anchor to make the human side predominate over the supernatural one, which is why the anchor is always a human being, something that belongs to the human, not to the wolf"  
"You talk as if they were two distinct people," said Malia.  
“They are. We do not choose who is our anchor, it just happens, it is ... the most pure and unconditional form of love, And if a wolf chooses as anchor another wolf, it means that not only the human has accepted it as such, but also the wolf himself, and the wolves are monogamous animals, meaning that once they have found a mate, that mate is forever, there will never be anyone else. If something happened to one of them, it would be like suffering twice. Not only would the wolf have no longer control, but even the human being would no longer have ... reason to live” Everyone remained silent.  
"But it's absurd ... Liam ... he's not even gay!" Spit Malia, holding back a laugh  
"You are such superficial, honey" Peter teased "For a werewolf there are no such distinctions, it is something that goes beyond simple physical attraction.You should know what it feels like ... when you have an anchor ... sense of completeness, belonging and protection that you feel ... ... do you remember? " Malia remained silent. "Now imagine it multiplied by two, where the second is a werewolf who lives every situation, every emotion amplified of one hundred percent"  
"What do we do?" finally the girl gasped, turning to Scott.  
“We're going to attack her. The night of the full moon, we will free Lisa and save Theo, we will think later about the shadow and how to seal it, " he finally said.

 

*

"So, how does it feel to be trapped?" Tara asked curiously, sitting on a rock to look him in the eye. Theo was tied to the tombstone. Below him the ground had been slightly moved, a shovel was abandoned a few yards away from them.  
"Why do not you just kill me?" the boy whispered, the empty expression on the ground "Is that what you want , isn't it?"  
Tara laughed, a cold and heartless laugh, which made Theo shudder. "Dying ... it would be too easy, and not funny at all." Theo looked at her without understanding. "No ... I have something very different in my mind." She stood up and approached him, leaning over him to look him straight in the eye. "I will take away from you all the beautiful things, everything that made your life worth living, all that made your heart beat at least once, all that made you think that _your_ life had more value than _mine_ , everything you could have, and I never knew " She jumped up and started walking around him

"I'll start from power. Once I get my body back, I'll go find what interests me, I'll become the most powerful supernatural creature that exists, and with that same power you craved enough to kill me for it, I will kill all the people you care about. Starting with that stupid kid, what's his name, _Liam_? " Theo shivered and paled to hear Liam's name. _Liam... so is he still alive?!_ "Unfortunately I failed first, the yellow wolfbane did not kill him," Tara said with a regretful expression "Powers of banshee" she then said, looking at him and bursting into laughter. "Well, I'll make it right next time. Dont worry, I'll make sure you're there. "Tara started walking again. "And when I get rid of him, it's up to your precious pack ... Alec ... Mason ... Corey ... _Nolan_ ... and Lisa, of course, then every friend, acquaintance you may have out there, until annihilate totally this stupid city, which welcomed you ... that has forgiven you ... in spite of what you did to me ... "  
"Tara ..." Theo said, with tears in his eyes.  
"Only then ..." she continued approaching again, almost to the point that their noses touched. "... I will open your chest and _take back what is mine_ "

*

It was only a day away from the full moon.  
"We can not go all, it would only be counterproductive," Scott exclaimed. "Nolan, you need to go, you're the only one who knows where the grave is, and the only one who can awaken Lisa." Nolan nodded. "Malia, you go, you're the only one on which the powers of the shadow do not work" Malia also nodded with a snarl of approval. "Kira, you stay here, the shadow still does not know about you, it's better to let him believe we do not have the sword yet, so you can concentrate on reassembling it" Kira shook her hand around the sword hilt. "Corey, you go, your powers can be useful, Mason, you'll stay here"  
Mason looked at Corey worried "I know I would just got in the way, but ..."  
"I'll be careful"  
" Peter and I will stay here too, she doesnt know about us, better not lose this advantage ... Liam ..."  
"I go, no matter what you say"  
"I know, I would not have stop you"  
"And I?" Alec asked. Scott looked at him. "I want to go" he did that. "I can not sit here and wait while practically almost all my pack is out there fighting" Scott smiled at him.  
"Okay," he agreed.  
"The prerogative is to awaken Lisa," Peter said.  
"The shadow has a spirit stronger than hers, so she will be able to regain control only for a few seconds, but ... will be enough"  
"Lisa.. how will she know what to do?" Malia asked, looking at them.  
"Lisa and Tara are connected, what one lives, what one knows.... the other one knows too , it's because of Lisa's powers" explained Nolan  
"So Lisa felt Tara's fear of fighting with Malia the other day, and she would have realized," added Mason  
"Hoping she's so smart," Peter commented.  
"The moment Lisa becomes a wolf, her body can no longer contain the shadow that will be expelled," Scott said.  
"So Lisa and Theo are safe," Alec concluded.  
"It seems easy," Kira noted, unconvinced.  
"What may go wrong?" asked Corey sarcastically.

  
 

*

Liam stood motionless in front of the window, watching the moon rise placidly. That night they would save Theo. They would have saved Lisa. Liam needed to repeat it every second, to convince himself. Those three days had been hell, literally. Liam felt the control crumble at every tick of the hands. If he has stayed calm it was because he could not save Theo if he had not been. _We will make it throught, as we have always done, but to do it, you have to get yourself together._ These were the words that Theo had said him that day in the classroom. He repeated them like a mantra. _You're my anchor too._ Liam breathed out deeply. Theo's voice boomed in his head, calming his heartbeat. _I was dead before meeting you._ He would have save him. No matter what it costs.

"Liam" Scott's voice interrupted his thoughts. “It's time”

*

It was three days that he was still in the same position. Tied up against the icy surface of the tomb, which he himself had built. He could not even say how much time had passed. He was tired, cold and hungry. He felt his strength abandon him slowly. And he could hardly keep his eyes open. "It's not long," Tara whispered, looking up at the moon.  
Theo looked up at her "What ... do you want to do?"  
"You'll see, it will be an incredible show" The girl moved to retrieve the abandoned blade on the ground, and began to dig. Theo followed her movements carefully. "It will be fast, dont worry, then we will go to look for your friends" Then she laughed, that cold laughter that Theo could not associate with Lisa's face "Always if you can call them like that ..." She stopped to look at him "They left you. After all ... _you are a monster_ "

 

At that moment something invisible pounced on Tara making her ruin on the ground. Theo's eyes widened as Liam and Corey materialized beside him.  
"Theo!" the boy exclaimed, bending down next to him.  
"Liam ... run ... you can not stay here ..." the other whispered, but could not hold back a smile when he saw them.  
"I will not let you in. I warned you, dying is not an option granted to you!" he growled at him, then moved behind him, to free him from his grip.  
Meanwhile Tara had engaged in a fight with Corey. She grabbed him by the neck and slammed him to the ground. Corey gasped, for a moment he saw everything clouded and lost track of things. Tara screamed, letting Liam fly several yards away. "I'm getting good at using Nolan's powers," she commented.  
Alec meanwhile was sneaking up among the trees. He knew that Tara was able to sense his presence. His agitation, his fear ... had to invest her in full. And indeed it was so. Suddenly Tara turned and pointed at him. Alec dodged her, and pulled out the fangs to growl at her. The plan was distracting her to allow Liam time to free Theo and Malia to approach. After all, Tara could not perceive her in animal form.  
So Alec attacked. He knew it was useless, he knew that his strength would be diminished at every contact with the shadow, but he did not care. What he knew was that he had to save his friends. Tara punched him in the face, knocking him to the ground. "Fine, I'll have to start with you." Tara drew her claws, ready to hit Alec in the throat. When one, two arrows hit her chest. She whinned, jerking backwards and looking up. At that moment, Malia jumped out of the woods, biting his left ankle. Alec imitated her, focusing on the right. Corey, regained control, grabbed from behind her arms. Tara protested, growling slightly. "Do you think this is enough?"  
"No, in fact," Nolan said, taking a few steps forward, with the crossbow still pointed at the girl  
"Do you want to kill me?" Tara asked, her voice suddenly sweet, her tone tremendously similar to Lisa's.  
Nolan hesitated only for a second "You are not Lisa" he did. Tara made an amused grin. She looked down, and then gave another scream even more powerful than the first.

  
 

Malia whinned, feeling the grip becoming weaker. Alec cried out, but kept his grip, the blood dripping from his ears. Corey instead took full effect, giving Tara time to elbow him on the nose, making him fall to the floor unconscious.  
"No!" shouted Nolan. As Tara tried to free herself from the other two, Liam appeared from behind her and stuck her claws in her back. "So, what is it ?!" he shouted. Then he looked at Nolan. "Nolan, hurry up, call out her name! Strong as you can!"  
"NOO!" Tara roared, in a last attempt to free herself. Nolan inspired and screamed, with the most breath he had in his body, he shouted the name of that girl who had chosen to sacrifice herself for them. That girl so strong she could bear the weight of a hundred, a thousand emotions without being broken. He called her, and he already knew she could hear him. _Lisa._ She could hear Nolan's voice calling her. She felt weak, as if her body floated somewhere in the back of some dark tunnel. Far away, far away ... she could see a faint light. _Lisa._ What was she doing here? She couldn't stay here. _Nolan... Theo..._ _Everybody_ _..._ she wanted kill all of them. She wouldn't stop. She had to stop her.

And, a voice in the darkness, Lisa shouted too.

Tara's eyes flashed for a moment, coming back golden. But it was only for a moment. Nolan backed away. Lisa's spirit and the shadow were fighting inside of her.

Tara growled, and let go of a head on Liam's nose, then pulled out one of the arrows in her chest and before Malia could react, he pierced her on the back. At that point he kicked Alec aside, and turned to Theo, who was still motionless almost unconscious, tied to the headstone. She growled again, and tried to take a step forward, but stopped with her foot in midair. She shouted. Lisa had again taken control.

 

"Ru...run...." she mumbled

"Lisa, do a full-shift!" Alec shouted  
"I do not know ... how to do it" she shouted completely overwhelmed by the inner battle that was taking place inside of her. Alec jumped up and pulled out the fangs again. Lisa screamed again, and felt her hand moving slowly toward the other arrow that had stuck in her chest. "No ..." she tried to protest.  
Meanwhile, Liam had risen and had pulled out his claws. He growled. "Lisa, you can do it" he said "I know you can do it!"  
Another scream of pain. Lisa felt that Tara was taking control again, felt her grip become stable around the arrow, covered by her own blood.

 

She turned to Nolan. _It was that stupid kid's fault._ Lisa felt Tara's hatred burning in her. She raised her hand to throw the arrow at the boy, who stepped back. _No Nolan no..._ Lisa thought . _I wont let you!_ At that moment, Lisa felt she was winning. And Tara knew it was over. Unless...

  
With the last traces of control she had, She started to throw the arrow at Nolan. He backed away, just as Alec and Liam snapped in front of him to protect him. Tara made an amused grin, and at the last second, she turned over, and hurled the arrow in the opposite direction. Where it went to stick in Theo's chest.

*

At the same time Liam cried out and Theo gave a strangled verse, Lisa roared, turning in front of them into a silver-haired wolf. The shadow was immediately expelled, and dissolved in the air, with an explosion of rage that made the trees tremble. The wolf wailed and Lisa slowly recovered her appearance, completely naked, and the expression vacuous, before fainting on the ground. "Lisa!" Nolan snapped forward and bent over her.  
Meanwhile Liam ran to Theo "Oh no ..." he pressed his hands on the wound. The blood that flowed copiously bathing the ground beneath them. "Theo ..." But Theo had fainted. Liam felt his beat slow down.  
"Liam, we have to take him to the hospital!" Alec shouted somewhere. "Yes ..." Liam said mechanically. He stood there distraught for a few seconds, before being reached by Corey, still covered in blood on his face.  
"Liam, let's go!" he gave him a jolt, then he freed the ropes that bound Theo using his claws. He took it from his shoulder and waited for Liam to hold onto it. Nolan wrapped Lisa in his jacket, and picked her up. Alec reached Malia, who was whining. The arrow prevented her from healing, so he pulled it out with a dry gesture. The coyote protested but looked at him with a look of gratitude. She beckoned him to go. She would have reached them as soon as she was healed.  
And she lay there on the ground.

  
 

*

"Is it serious?" Scott took his mother aside.  
"They're operating him," only Melissa said. "The arrow did not go deep, and fortunately it did not hit the heart, but he lost a lot of blood - it all depends on him." Scott sighed and gave a sad look at his beta. Liam sat on the ground with his head between his knees. He knew what it was like to lose his anchor. He knew what it was like to lose the person you love the most in the world, to the point of losing yourself.  
He shifted his gaze to Corey and Mason, who were aloofly embracing each other, then to Alec, who was sitting, still covered in blood, next to Nolan. The boy's gaze swayed at regular intervals between the operating room where Theo was and the medication room where Lisa had been closed for almost an hour. Scott sat down next to Alec. The boy looked at him "Where are Kira and Peter?"  
"They stayed in the loft, Kira almost finished assembling the sword," the alpha explained.  
"Where's Malia?" Alec was starting to worry about the coyote.  
"Surely she will be doing a reconnaissance tour for the forest" Scott reassured him "I know her well, she wants to make sure everything is okay"

  
 

At that moment the medication room door opened, and Lisa came out, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders and a pale face. But she gave everyone a smile. Nolan got up and joined her. "I'm fine," she said to the tacit questions of her friends. "Thanks for saving me" Nolan hugged her, and made her sit between him and Alec. The boy gave her a smile.  
"Hi, you must be Scott," Lisa said, looking at the alpha.  
"It's a pleasure to meet you finally," he said, giving her a reassuring smile.  
Lisa hugged herself even more in the blanket, with a smile. "Theo?" she said faintly. Nolan shook his head. And Lisa looked at Liam. She felt her breath cut into her chest, she could clearly hear what the wolf was feeling. It was a mixture of so many emotions, which Lisa thought would faint again at any moment. At that moment, the light in the operating room went out, and everyone looked up at the waiting door. Scott stood up, and Liam immediately after him.  
The doctor came out slowly and gave them a look before murmuring the result. "The operation went well, now we have to wait for him to wake up" Liam threw out all the air he had held, and Lisa felt the weight the boy felt on his chest melt like snow in the sun. She too breathed a sigh of relief. Liam put his hands before his eyes, and then leaned against the wall as if to catch his breath. Then he came out, murmuring something that resembled the word "air".  
Lisa looked at him before removing the blanket, placing it on the chair. Nolan looked at her questioningly. "I'll be right back," she said only before following Liam.

 

*

The cold of that night burned on his skin as he sat on the bench outside the hospital. Waiting to know what would happen to Theo. _Theo... Theo couldnt die._ Liam felt a tear sticking on his eyelashes, undecided whether to go out or not, and stopped it with a wave of his hand before it could slip out. Because from that one he could not come back. It would have been like admitting it aloud. But it could not really be ... Theo was his anchor, it's true. He had accepted it. Perhaps he had always known it. He had forgiven him, recognized him as part of his pack. He had learned to trust him. Being his friend had not even come hard to him. But from this to say that he ....  
"Liam" A voice interrupted the erratic and confusing flow of his thoughts.

"Lisa"

"can I sit down?" Liam nodded to her. "You know, I will not complain about having just been possessed by a psychopathic ghost, but ..." she began. "Let me tell you that your emotions are making my head spin." Liam looked at her questioningly. "I feel what you're feeling," she explained.  
"Great that you know what I feel when I do not even know it," he said ironically.

"Yes, you know, "she said, looking at him softly." You're just afraid to admit it. Because it's easier to keep denying it "  
"I hate this thing," Liam exclaimed.  
"Many have tell me that", Lisa noted.

"So, mrs I-know-everything, would you tell me what I'm feeling, since I am in total darkness?"  
"I can not tell you how you're feeling, Liam," she said exasperated. "But can I reveal something to you? Then you'll be free to believe me or not."  
Liam looked at her, turning back serious and making her a sign to continue.

  
 

"A girl.. doesn't fall in love with a guy _because he's a guy_. And a guy... doesnt fall in love with a girl _because she's a girl_. We... _love who we love_. We love who completes us, who protects us, who makes us feel at home, we love... _who is our anchor_ , no matter if we're human or supernatural... we love the person we hold onto when we feel drowning, the person who keeps us on the ground when everything comes down. Who makes us wish.. contrary to what everybody think, not to _die_ for that person... but to _live_ for. And not matter if it's a girl, it's a guy, if it's younger, or older than us... when you find that person, don't let it go. Cause it's that kind of love you meet once in a lifetime"

Liam looked away. He felt he could no longer hold it back, that tear that had been stuck for too long. "Do not be afraid." Lisa patted his shoulder before getting up  
"He is not" And with a last smile, she came back to the others.

  
 

*

Melissa approached the group firmly. "He woke up," she said. Everyone took a breath of relief. Alec smiled and dropped against the wall. "Scott," Melissa continued. "He asked of you"  
Scott looked surprised "of me?" asked. Melissa nodded, beckoning him to follow her. The Alpha obeyed, now intrigued. Melissa pointed to Theo's room, and squeezed his shoulder in a gesture of support, before turning around and going back to work. Scott opened the door and entered.  
In spite of all, he could not feel pity for the boy. Theo was really bad. The bruises left by the hunters a few days earlier had mixed the wounds inflicted by Tara, not to mention the effects of being bound, without food or water for almost three days. His shoulder was bandaged, and a needle protruded from the crook of his right arm. He breathed weakly through a tube. Scott approached him slowly. Theo turned his head toward him with extreme caution. "Theo, how are you ?"  
"I'm tired of everyone continuing to ask me that"  
"It's the most spontaneous question for someone lying on a hospital bed," Scott replied.

"It's a stupid question"

"Well, I swear I will not ask you next time," he said ironically.  
"Are you wishing me to go back to the hospital?" he asked. Scott snorted.  
"I think Liam will not let you" Theo felt the tension rise to Liam's name.  
He looked at the alpha. "Scott" The boy looked at him, coming back serious. " _She wants Liam_ " Scott looked at him questioningly. "Tara wants to kill Liam" he faintly said "Please do not let her hurt him," added Theo, with a tone of supplication that Scott remembered hearing him once: when they had sealed him in hell. "He is ... all I have, everything that keeps me still clinging to my human being," he continued, with watery eyes, his face contracted with pain. "This is her revenge"  
Scott approached him and, in response, grabbed his hand, taking his pain. Theo looked at him in surprise, while he was already beginning to feel better. "Thank you ... for what you feel for Liam," he only said. "I promise you nothing will happen to him”  
Theo smiled at him, before closing his eyes, and falling into a deep sleep.

*

Malia snorted. She touched the wound on her side. It still was not completely healed.  
She had a round of control and at the moment everything seemed quiet. Apparently. She knew that the shadow must still be around.  
Suddenly she heard a noise in the distance. She cocked her ears to listen. _Was anyone there?_ Suddenly the smell of blood hit her like a river in flood. Malia contorted her face in disgusted grimace, but took a few steps toward it.  
Suddenly, a woman came out of nowhere, her face, her hands covered in blood and her face turned upside down. She leaned against a tree a few meters from Malia "He...he...lp me.. pl...ase" gasped.  
Malia did not have time to take a step that she colapsed to the ground, the blood that wet the ground. Malia knew she was dead.  
Horrified, she looked around. What was it? It could not have been the shadow.  
"Where is it?" asked a cold voice behind her. Malia whirled around, but she grabbed her by the neck, sticking her claws into her skin. Malia gasped. "Where is it?" the girl repeated. His face was stained with the woman's blood. And someone else's. She could distinctly smell the blood of several different people. Malia looked at her in shock.

 _Who was it? S_ he was sure she didnt know her at all. _No way..._

"Tara?" the coyote gasped.  
In response, Tara tightened her grip on Malia's neck even more. "Tell me where it is, and I will delay the hour of your death"

 _How did she..?_ They had freed Lisa. Then she remembered Peter's words.

 _Blood.._ Theo's blood had wet the excavated ground. It had wet Tara's bones on a full moon night.

_They had failed._

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED._

  
 


	12. Beacon

"What do you think is happened?"  
It was morning, and they were in the middle of the clearing where the fight had taken place the night before.  
Alec looked at Scott, looking for answers. The alpha shifted his gaze to Peter, who patrolled the area. "Her smell is faint, She's been gone for hours," answered the wolf.  
"But I catch another smell" Scott noted "And it's none of us"  
Alec took a few steps forward toward the overturned headstone. "I'm starting to worry," Scott said finally.  
Peter also seemed agitated, even if he tried not to show it. "Something must have happened to her"  
"Guys ..." Alec's voice caught their attention. Scott and Peter turned to him and joined him. "I think something came out of here"  
They looked at each other in amazement, then Peter threw himself to the ground. He picked up a handful and brought it to his nose. "Smell of blood," he said then.  
"It's Theo's," Alec said, imitating him.  
Scott blinked "She's back to life"  
"And she caught Malia," Peter concluded.  
 

*

Melissa rushed into the hospital room where Theo rested. Liam saw her rush in and followed her closely. When the woman entered, Theo looked up at her. "What happens?" Liam called after, reaching her.  
“Scott just called me," she said, pulling the tube away from Theo's arm. "Malia is gone, and the grave in the woods ... is empty"  
"What it means 'empty'?" Liam exclaimed, looking at Theo.  
"When she hit Theo, she did it for a purpose, she hoped the blood would wet her bones, and so it was"  
Theo was upset. "Is she ... come back to life?"  
"Yes, we have to move you from here, it's not a safe place"  
"No wait, it's too weak to get up"  
"Please, Liam, I'm not a little girl," protested Theo.  
"Do not worry, I have what you need here," said Melissa, pulling a syringe from her coat pocket.  
"What's that stuff?"  
"Tell me it's morphine, the pain is unbearable," Theo begged.  
"Better, do you know the nine herbs?" she did, slipping the needle into the boy's arm without too many ceremonies.

  
 

*

"What are you doing?" Nolan approached Lisa, sitting on the sofa in Derek's loft, with her legs twisted and eyes closed.  
"I'm looking for a link"  
Mason and Corey, who were seated further, looked up curiously. "What?"  
Lisa sighed and opened her eyes. "I can not feel her anymore," she complained.  
"I still do not understand"  
"Tara, I can not feel her anymore"  
"I did not think it was a bad thing," Nolan said.  
"Yes, if I can not understand what she has in mind, I could find Malia if I could find a connection," exclaimed Lisa, exasperated.  
At that moment, Kira entered the room, out of breath. Everyone looked at her. "Bad news, the plan has failed, Tara is back alive"  
Everyone remained silent, upset. "What?" Corey exclaimed.  
Lisa looked at them. "That's why the connection was interrupted: it is no longer a spirit anchored to the earth"  
"Wait, do not tell me that Malia ...?" Mason began. Kira said nothing, but her eyes said everything. "What's going on now?"  
"Scott and the others are coming back, and we'll move Theo and Liam elsewhere, since it seems they are her main targets, then we will organize research teams for Malia."  
"Is ... is she okay, is not she?" Lisa asked her question mainly to Nolan.  
This nodded. "I would have felt it if she was not"  
Lisa closed her eyes again "I ... memories begin to be blurred, I think she was looking for something"  
"Something .. or someone?" the Mason asked.  
"I do not know ... really, I do not know"  
 

*

_Some hours before_

Squeezed in Tara's grip, Malia struggled to breathe. "Tell me where is it?" Tara repeated again.  
"I do not know ..." gasped the coyote. "As much as I _die_ ... by wanting to shoot a shotgun in the head of your little brother, I will not tell you where he is"  
Tara released her grip, causing Malia to fall to the ground. The coyote felt deprived of all her energy, gasped for air, putting her hands around her neck. "It's not ... Theo that interests me now," Tara said, leaning over her.  
"Do you want ... do you want Liam?"  
Tara made an amused grin. "I'll think about them later," he said. "And I will think about each of you, but first ... I need more power." Malia looked at her without understanding "And you will tell me where to find it"  
 

*

"So, what's the plan?" said Liam, looking at Scott

"We're looking for Malia" he answered "But not you two" he added, glancing from Liam to Theo, still pale and weak on his legs.  
"I will not stay here!" Liam protested, pointing to the loft with a wave of his hand.  
Scott looked at Theo. They still had not said anything to Liam about Tara wanting him as much as she wanted Theo. "Tara is looking for Theo, and he can not fight, I guess you do not want to leave him without protection, so either you stay ... or Alec stays"  
At that moment, there was a big thump and the voice of Peter "You are the shame of the werewolves" followed by Alec's "I'm fine!"  
"Okay, I'll stay," Liam agreed.  
Scott nodded and turned to Lisa. "What did you say about Tara?"  
"I think she's looking for something," she replied.  
"She also mentioned something in the woods," Theo said. "When I was ... tied ... she said she would think about us only after finding what she was looking for"  
"What's she looking for?" Mason asked.  
"Whatever it is, she needs Malia to find it," Scott said.  
"If only I remembered ..." Lisa exclaimed.  
"Can we try again with hypnosis?" Corey suggested. Mason seemed doubtful.  
"Well, you four go to Deaton, maybe he can help you, stay away from the battlefield." The group nodded.  
"What about the sword?" Theo asked.  
"Assembled" Kira did at that moment, entering the salon. With a wave of her hand, she opened the katana. "Send back that thing where it came from"

*

Malia could not breathe. She felt the kanima poison flow into her body paralyzing every muscle. Leaning on a large trunk. The hand still pressed on the wound on the side. The sun filtering through the branches of the trees. _Yellow Wolfbane._ Malia knew it would take effect soon. She moved her eyes to look for Tara, but she was not around. _What is she looking for?_ She heard the flow of the stream, they were certainly near the place where Tara had died. Malia took a moment to think about how she had considered Theo a monster for killing her, when she herself would have willingly drowned her in the creek now. She heard footsteps approaching. Malia held her breath. _Tara was back ..._ She stood there waiting for the end, when ...  
"Malia" Scott ran around her.  
"You are ... you came ..." she gasped.  
"I'm here, now I'll take you home." He kissed her lips lightly before taking her in his arms. "Where's Tara?"  
"I do not know, look for something ... in the woods ..." she panted. Scott gave her a worried look before running away.

*

"No it does not work" snapped Lisa sitting on the table.  
"You're not concentrating," said Mason, raising an eyebrow. Corey and Nolan looked at each other amused.  
"Is not there another way? I can not concentrate on looking at a stupid candle"  
Mason snorted, motioning for Nolan to think about him. "You know the alternative is to lower your body temperature"  
"Lowering how much?" she said skeptical  
"Under the humanly tolerable level," Nolan answered. This time it was up to Lisa to snort.  
"I think there's another way" Deaton interjected, who had stood aside watching Mason's attempts to hypnotize Lisa. Everyone turned to him.  
"Well, let's hear it," the girl exclaimed.  
"Well Lisa can try to have a vision ... it will be enough to draw on Nolan's powers"  
Mason's eyes widened "How did we not think about it right away ?!" he snapped, blowing on the candle. "Stupid candle"  
"Well ... but how should I do?" she asked doubtfully.  
Nolan stood in front of her and held out both hands. Lisa looked at them for a second before letting hers slip with a smile. "Close your eyes" Lisa obeyed. "Focus, look for the fuzzy memories you have left of her" Lisa nodded slowly.

 

_Dying... would be too easy..._ . _..every beautiful thing, everything that made your life ...._ Lisa could hear her voice uttering things she couldnt remember ever saying. _Starting with the power_ _...._ _I will become the most powerful supernatural creature that exists ... she has been attracted by the Nemeton here to Beacon Hills .... And it is the Nemeton that increases her powers ..._ Lisa remembered that moment. That day Tara had attacked Theo. _A magical tree catches-monsters._ Alec's voice. _..._ _tree full of energy that attracts people like us._ _.._ Liam.

Lisa opened her eyes, suddenly turned gold, and gasped for air. "Lisa! Wha .. what did you see?"  
Lisa inhaled and exhaled. "The Nemeton, she's looking for the Nemeton!"  
The other four looked at each other in shock. "Does she want to absorb the power of the Nemeton ?!" Corey exclaimed.  
Mason looked at Deaton "Can she do it?"  
"Apparently, yes," he said.  
"No ... we can not let her!" exclaimed Nolan. "She will be unstoppable if she absorbs all that power!"  
At that moment, the door swung open, and Scott rushed in, carrying Malia in his arms. Everyone withdrew to let it pass. The boy laid her on the table. "Deaton, we need fire" He did not say anything, but went to work.  
"What happened?" Mason asked  
"She was in the woods, Tara was not there"  
"Scott" said Mason "She Looks for the Nemeton"  
Scott looked at him displeased. "The ... Nemeton?"  
"If she absorbs that energy, a sword will not be enough to contain her!" Corey exclaimed.  
"We have to get there before her," Lisa suddenly said. Everyone looked at her. "I will absorb the Nemeton" Everyone looked at her as if she were crazy "Do not look at me like that. If I absorb the Nemeton, we will solve two problems in one fell swoop, "she exclaimed. "Tara will never have her source of power and Beacon Hill will never be a beacon for the supernatural, you told me that the Nemeton attracts supernatural creatures ... good and bad"  
"Is it possibble something like that?" Nolan asked  
"Yes, it was me, Stiles and Allison who reactivated the Nemeton three years ago, and since then we have not had peace," said Scott, looking at Deaton, and then at Malia, unconscious. Deaton had just burned the yellow wolfbane.  
"Okay, let's go, we have to get to the Nemeton before her"

  
*  
 

"All of this is stressfull" Liam complained, crossing the room for the hundredth time in an hour.

"You've said that a thousand times yet" Theo pointed out, lying on the sofa.  
"I know, but it 's always stressfull!"  
"... And a thousand and one" Liam gave him a dirty look.  
"Do you know what's stressfull?" Theo asked him, sitting up.  
"What?"  
"You"  
Liam looked at him. "So do you thank who save your life?"  
"I would like to remind you that I found myself with a dagger in my chest," Theo sarcastic muttered. "And do you know what's really stressfull?"  
"You mean apart your ever-present acid comments?"  
"The fact that my dead sister goes around Beacon Hill threatening to kill us all while we're here" the boy snapped  
"Are you about to have a hysterical crisis?"  
"Maybe" snorted "Being human sucks"  
Theo touched the wound with his fingers. Liam hesitated a moment before sitting down next to him. Theo looked at him. "Still it hurts?"  
"No ... no more, it has not healed, but it does not hurt anymore," he replied slowly. "Those seven herbs are miraculous"  
"It's nine"  
"Same," he snorted, before returning seriously. "Anyway ... thank you ... for coming to look for me ... I did not think ..."  
"I would never have left you there," Liam said, crossing his gaze.  
"I know" Theo shrugged "I did not think _all_ you would come"  
"We are a pack, and a pack means that nobody is left behind"  
Theo smiled "Yeah"  
"That's not true ... what Tara said, you know, do not you?" Theo looked at him questioningly. "You are not a monster"  
"Not everyone thinks like that," he said, his expression frowning. "And in part they're right, aren't they? Remorse is not enough to erase the things I've done"  
"That's enough for me: you saved my life, you saved Mason, you saved Nolan, you saved Gabe, you brought Hayden and Corey back to life ..."  
Theo snorted amused at the last statement "That was not really a great success ... I almost killed Lydia to find out where the Ne ..-" Theo stopped and paled.  
"What is it? Do you feel bad?" Liam worried.  
Theo turned abruptly towards him. "The Nemeton! Tara is looking for the Nemeton!"  
Liam also paled. "Will ..she want...?"  
Theo snapped up "We will not be able to seal her again if she absorbs all that energy"  
Liam imitated him. "Okay, okay, I'll call Scott." She started looking for his cell phone, then stopped suddenly  
"What?" Theo exclaimed  
" Monroe has my cell phone " he remembered  
"Are you serious?"  
"You call him"  
"Mine is somewhere between the hospital and my sister's grave," he snorted in response.  
"Great, great ..."  
"Apparently, it is destiny that we join the fight"  
Theo looked at Liam, who smiled. "Here we go"  
They left the loft without too many ceremonies. "Wait" Liam turned to him "Where is your car?" he asked, looking around  
"Parked outside the motel"  
Liam's eyes widened "Kidding ?!" Liam patted his forehead "Tell me, have you lost anything else these days?"  
"Yes, my dignity, apparently" Theo passed him "Come on, we should go on foot"

*

Tara walked through the woods, trying to catalog all the information she had on the Nemeton through Lisa's memories. _A beacon for supernatural creatures..._ Liam had said. It was logical to infer that human beings could not see it. So Tara sparkled her eyes, an electric blue. And she continued to search. She was aware, however, that the wood stretched for miles. And she did not have all that time. She wanted that power, and she wanted it _right away._ A growl escaped her, but she held it back, still concentrating. _Nolan had named a tree in his vision. No ... was it a log? Right, there may not have been much left of the tree._ If that's so, then it was close to the creek. Not too far from where her body had been buried .... And it was there that Tara made her way.

*

Nolan stopped the car at the edge of the woods, and everyone got out quickly. Scott, Lisa, Corey and Mason. Kira would have reached them soon. They had left Malia, still unconscious to Deaton's treatment. "So, where are we going?"  
"I know where he is," said Mason. Corey looked at him questioningly. "Liam and I found it once when we were looking for.. you and Hayden," he replied. "But it can be seen only through supernatural eyes," he added, looking at Scott.  
"That's what I am here for," he said, making his eyes sparkle with an intense red. "Here we go"

  
 

*

Alec kept walking through the woods, without knowing exactly what to look for. Peter walked a few steps behind him. "You know, kiddo ..."  
"My name is Alec," he interrupted immediately  
"As you wish, you should learn to better manage your powers. One day a hesitation could cost you your life, "he snorted. Alec did not answer, but kept on walking. "Scott told me your family was an abstentionist," added Peter, coming over to him  
"Yes ... our family did not want it, they did not ask for it ... we were born that way, and our code required us not to use our powers" Alec paused "We were only transformed into the nights full moon, but we locked ourselves in cages to make sure we did not hurt anyone "  
"From your tone, you do not seem to share the code"  
"I shared it, before they all slaughtered them," snapped the wolf. "We had spent all our life hiding, to deny ourselves to never hurt anyone ... and look what happened ... I wonder ... who the real monster is now"  
Peter hesitated a moment before answering. "There are prey and predators, or you hunt or get hunted, it's the law of the jungle"  
"I wish it were not like that"

"But it will always be.The human being is afraid, and fear causes hatred, and hatred causes violence, and violence causes revenge. This is how wars are born. It is an endless cycle"  
"But why? Why all this?" blurted Alec.  
"No matter the reason, everything is enough to trigger a war ... hate, love, religion, resources ... all are good reasons, even the selfish desire to keep peace at all costs can lead us to war. It's a thing that Scott should learn, you can not always save everyone.An eternal pain and an endless hatred ... this is war "Alec looked intently at the man in front of him. "Everyone defends their reasons and they believe they are fighting on the right side, but I realized a long time ago ... that there are no good guys and bad guys, because when a war ends, do not remain neither defeated nor winners. Only survivors remain, trying to make sense of what little is left "Peter looked at Alec. "Do you know who told me all this once?" he asked him. Alec shook his head. "Your mother ... yes, I met her ... a long time ago, but then I was not the type who listened to such talk"  
"And what kind were you?"  
"More the one who would take head off anyone who bothered him"  
"Good to know," he commented.

At that moment, Alec's phone vibrated. It was a message from Nolan. Alec quickly read it and looked up at his companion. "They found Malia, she's safe, but ..."  
"But what?" he urged him impatiently  
"It seems that Tara wants to absorb the Nemeton"  
Peter was thrilled. "This is not good," he commented.  
"Others are heading there"  
"Let's go too," he exclaimed, starting to walk again  
"You know where is it?"  
"I know everything," he replied simply  
 

*

Liam walked a few steps behind Theo. He looked up, the sun had already begun to set. The adrenaline rush that had driven him to leave the loft was already waning. He returned to watch Theo.  
He had tried to ignore the thoughts that had swirled through his head since the night before. What Lisa had said was right, it was ... but this did not mean that he was ready to admit it to himself. Or worse, admit it to Theo. But ... _He is not afraid_ Lisa had said. At those words, Liam could almost swear he had heard his wolf howl. What did she mean? That Theo ... did he feel exactly what he felt? Liam's heart pounded at the thought, and for a moment he thanked Theo was no longer able to hear it.  
Theo ... He was dragging him to the one who wanted him dead. Suddenly the plan no longer seemed a good plan. In fact, Liam found himself thinking, that's not even a plan! What would they do once they arrived at the Nemeton? And if there had been Tara, how would they have faced her, just the two of them?

"Theo?"

"Mmh?"

"What did you want to tell me the other night?"  
Theo turned to suddenly look at him with frowned eyebrows. "Do you really want to talk about this in such a moment?" asked  
"Well, since we could die at any moment, why not?"  
Theo snorted "I thought dying was not an option," he said.

"Know what I mean" Liam looked at him for a moment. "I do not think you should come with me, she wants to kill you"

Theo looked at him, an expression difficult to decipher. Sad, anxious, worried ...? "It's not me she wants," he said. "Not now at least." Liam looked at him questioningly. Theo hesitated for a moment, biting his nervous lips.  
 

Admitting that Tara wanted Liam because he was the only person Theo really cared about, it would have sounded more like a declaration. Theo was certainly the outspoken type, but admitting it, especially at such a time, could have been counterproductive. Theo knew what he felt for Liam. He had always known it. From the day when Liam, looking into his eyes, had broken that sword. That sword that represented in the eyes of the chimera every single fear, every pain and torment that had lived up to that moment. Breaking it was as if Liam had freed him a second time. At that moment, Theo had begun to live again. He had felt himself dying again, when Liam had yelled at him that whatever he had lived down there, he had deserved it. _I 'm not going to help you, I 'm not going to save you,_ he had said, but he had saved him instead. In all possible ways. Giving him a chance, giving him confidence, giving him affection, giving him a place to belong, giving him a purpose to follow, friends to protect ... it was all thanks to Liam. He had put together the pieces of a broken person. Liam was his anchor, the reason why he was still here, the reason why he was still alive.

  
Theo remembered that day in the hospital. He had wanted so much to kiss him, at that moment, to the point that even remembering it seemed painful. But he had held back, he had always held himself. Because he knew that Liam deserved someone better than him.

"Theo?" Liam called him out "What do you mean?"

Theo got back to reality "Eh.. she...well... she... wants _you_ "

Liam wided his eyes "Me?" whispered

"She wants all of you," added Theo. "She said ... she will take me away all the beautiful things I have ... before ... tearing my heart out of my chest." The boy shuddered at the thought, and Liam looked at him distraught.  
"We will not let her," he said, shaking his hand in his. He could feel Theo's heart beating hard, Liam could hear it beating at the same rate as his. It was such an intoxicating sound that Liam could stay there forever and let himself be lulled by it. "Nobody will die tonight," he added. "I promise you"  
Theo nodded, tightening his hand even more. "Come on, we must reach the Nemeton before her," he said.

_*_

At the same time, like a magnet, like a _beacon_ in the night, everyone was heading in the same place. _The Nemeton._ For the showdown.

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	13. Hell

The wood was silent. The clear sky. The moon illuminated the surrounding area, to the point that we could distinguish every detail of the clearing. The only sound that interrupted the silence was the roar of the water. Tara crossed the bridge over the stream and stopped for a moment to look down at the murky water in which she had lost her life. In which he had deprived her of life. She felt anger mount her again, her blue eyes for the lives she had taken. But for hers ... who had paid for it? Soon she would have her ransom. She turned her back to the water and proceeded. By now it must have been almost there. The Nemeton must have been nearby ...

  
 

*

Mason and Corey watched as Tara approached, at a safe distance, invisible. "Can not feel us anymore?" Mason whispered  
"She no longer has Lisa's empathy now, she only has the senses of the supernatural creatures that she absorbed when she was a shadow," Corey explained. "And I do not think she can handle them well yet"  
"This is to our advantage," said the other. He turned back, where Scott and Nolan had hidden. "Hope Lisa has done on time"

  
 

*

"I think someone is following us," Liam said suddenly, interrupting the silence. Theo stopped abruptly. Liam turned back, when something hit him in the chest, causing him to fall to the ground. Theo could not follow his movements, saw Liam fall, then he felt claws pressing down his throat.  
"You're dead," a voice whispered in his ear.  
Panic gave way to surprise. Liam also turned to the voice "Peter!" he growled, getting back to his feet. "Does it seem like time to joke?"  
"The two of you, idiots, go around on your own when you have been explicitly told not to move from the loft," the other exclaimed. "I only showed you how easy it is to lose your life"  
Someone ran up to them. Alec. "Liam! Theo! What the heck are you doing here ?!"  
"We could not stay in the loft!" Liam exclaimed "Tara wants the Nemeton"  
"Tell us something we do not know," Peter said sarcastically. "Now Alec and I reach the others and you return home immediately"  
"Forget it!" Liam blurted out "I will not go home while you are all here risking your lives"  
Theo supported him "I do not want anyone else die because of me ... _again_ "

Alec looked at them and then looked at Peter, shrugging his shoulders. "We are a pack"  
"Nobody is left behind, is not it?" Theo completed, looking at Liam, who smiled. "Quite right"  
Peter sighed "Damn teenagers, you like acting like heroes so much ...!" But he gestured them to follow them. "Come on, we're almost there"

  
 

*

Tara knew that this was the place to be. She made her eyes sparkle again, and she saw it. It was a simple stock of what once must have been a big tree, but she could almost feel its power. She approached slowly and touched the concentric circles with her fingertips. She could not hold back a satisfied grin. "Here we are," she whispered. She put her palms on it and inhaled, closing her eyes, waiting for that immense power to invade her. She already tasted the taste of victory. Nobody would have exiled her anymore. Nobody would have stopped her anymore ....

  
Yet nothing was happening. Tara opened her eyes, her questioning look.  
"You came late," said a female voice behind her. Tara whirled around to find Lisa in front of her, her golden eyes crossing hers with a smile on her lips. She stretched out her hands, the electric discharges emanating from the girl's body. "Are you looking for that?" asked Lisa ironically, before hitting Tara with an electric shock. The girl was thrown back several meters.

  
 

"Stay here," Scott whispered to Nolan, also briefly signaling to Corey and Mason to remain hidden, before snapping forward and positioning himself next to Lisa, just as a furious though wobbly Tara came back to her feet, ready to face them.  
"We have to keep her busy until Kira arrives," Scott whispered to Lisa.  
"I do not know how much I can handle all these powers, they will soon vanish, I'm not like her," she explained.  
At that moment Tara hurled herself at them, Scott imitated her, plating her. Tara punched him in the face, Scott backed only a few steps before hitting her in turn, making her take a two-meter flight. Tara growled and looked from him to Lisa.  
That power belonged to her ... it must have been only hers. She hurled himself at Scott, simulating a frontal attack, then jumping him off. "Watch out Scott!" Mason shouted as he stood up. Tara turned to him, shooting a poisoned spire. Corey lunged at the boy, shielding him with his body. The spire hit him on the back, and the chimera tumbled to the ground above Mason. "Corey!"

Tara returned to focus on Scott, who was left displaced for a moment and caught him by the neck. Scott wriggled, grasping Tara's arm in his attempt to free himself. "Lisa!" screamed Scott. Lisa looked at him upset. She understood the tacit request of the alpha, but did not know what to do.  
"Do it Lisa!" shouted Nolan, bowed with Mason on Corey, already pale and breathless. Lisa closed her eyes and hit full with another electric shock both Tara and Scott. The two cried, the bodies enveloped by electric shocks. Scott shone his red eyes and managed to pull Tara's arm away, then kicking her into the stomach.  
Tara snarled again as Lisa fell to her knees. The girl looked at her burned hands, could not handle all that power. Tara laughed scornfully. She turned to her and took a few steps in his direction. Scott started to hurl himself against her, but suddenly he felt his body grow heavy.  
He looked at his hands, felt that he was losing his body's sensitivity. Nolan and Mason opened their eyes to that sight. "She scratched him," Mason whispered. Scott realized that Tara had only pretended to grab him to steal his powers, in fact she had only done so to paralyze him.

  
 

The alpha collapsed on the ground, while Tara approached impotent Lisa. "No!" Nolan shouted, throwing himself at Tara even though he knew he had no hope. In fact, the girl was faster than him and spread him with a single fist on his face.  
Then she grabbed Lisa by the neck. "Give me what is mine"  
"It does not belong to you ..." Lisa gasped. "Nothing in this world belongs to you, you're _dead_ " Tara growled furiously, tightening her grip even more. She felt the power of the Nemeton slip into her. It was a totalizing sensation. She closed her eyes until she had dried up every drop, leaving Lisa fainted on the ground.  
At that point, she returned to focus on Scott. "Scott," she whispered, leaning over the paralyzed boy on the ground. "I know I can not absorb the powers of an alpha in that way, but ..." She pulled out her claws. "... I can do it like that" And she stuck them in the boy's stomach. Scott gasped.  
He knew that horrible feeling. He had already tried it before with Theo. He felt his strength abandon him. "How can you defend Theo after what he did to me?" she asked, a palm from her face. "After what he did _to you?_ "  
Scott looked at her. "Theo ... has killed so many people ..." he gasped "... following the logic of a twisted plan ... that was put into his head since he was a child ..." Tara looked at him furiously "You .. you killed without a reason ... people who had nothing to do with it ... just for the sake of it. "Scott's eyes returned to their usual brown. "You're even _worse than him_ "

  
 

Tara snarled and raised her claws ready to give him the definitive blow .... when a big wolf shot at her. "Scott!" someone shouted. He could see while he felt the last of his forces abandoning him the blurry faces of Liam and Alec bent over him. The wolf ... had to be Peter.  
Tara stood up ready to face the new arrivals. She laughed again, a cold, emotionless laugh. "You have no hope against me," she said. She showed her hands, the electric shocks that had previously lapped Lisa's hands, now sparkled on her. She closed her eyes and then opened them, showing red irises. "I have the power of the Nemeton and I have absorbed the power of an alpha, no one can stop me"  
Liam growled at her. He looked around. His eyes rested on Scott, very weak on the ground, almost without energy, on Lisa, fainted next to Nolan, the blood that dripped from his mouth, to Corey, pale and questioned with sweat, with Mason beside him holding him tightly . Then he turned to the trees, where he knew Theo was. _Stay here_ , he had told him, but he already knew that Theo would not have remained there for long. He had to stop her, he had to stop Tara if he wanted to save his friends. If he wanted to save them all ....

  
 

_Nobody's going to die tonight._ He said and so it had to be.

Peter hurled himself at Tara, who dodged it, with a quick movement, still with that icy smile on her face. "You have no hope"  
And she hit Peter with an electric shock, making him fall to the ground, the smell of burning that invaded the clearing. Alec snarled at her, and with Liam hurled himself at her.  
Even in two they could barely fight it. Tara was faster, stronger and certainly more ruthless. She hit Liam in the face, and kicked him away, then grabbed Alec and slammed him against a tree with such violence that the tree swayed dangerously. Alec yelped, his eyes bright with pain. "Do not you have any jokes to do about it?" Tara said him, holding him against the rough trunk.

Alec gasped. "You're _heartless_ " he mumbled ironically.  
Tara snarled and clawed his claws into the wolf's stomach with a sharp gesture. Alec screamed, sliding down the trunk, staining it with blood.  
Tara turned to Liam, the only one left standing, her claws still soiled with blood. And she laughed again. Liam could hardly hold back his anger, he knew he was about to take over. But this time he would have let it out willingly, he would have vented it on her, which had caused so much suffering, so many deaths, so much pain ... Liam roared.  
"GetAngry, Liam," she told him. "Lose control, and become the monster you are" She laughed.

.

Liam found those words even more painful than a fist. Because he felt in deep they were the truth.

"I guess that's why my brother finds you so interesting ... You're more alike than you can admit." She moved slowly toward him, Liam backed away, pale. "How could you ever be an alpha? You ... you're a monster, just like us" Liam felt tears burning in his eyes. Lisa had felt what he felt, and now Tara used it against him to manipulate him.

"NO!" Mason shouted. "Liam, do not listen to her, you're not a monster, remember?" He snapped to his feet. " _You're a werewolf_ " Mason looked at him. "The best friend I've ever had .... and you'll also be a great alpha, if you stop scolding yourself for everything !!" Liam looked at his best friend, moved, and in a moment he felt every hesitation slip away.  
"Damn nosy," Tara blurted, turning to Mason. Liam did not have time to get in the way, that Tara hit Mason with an electric shock. Probably he had foreseen it because he dodged it, or at least he tried it. Mason crashed to the ground, putting a hand to his left arm, which had been smeared and now bleeding profusely. "No!" Liam shouted, throwing himself at Tara.  
"You can not beat me," she laughed, with Liam's hands around her neck.  
"Nobody ..." Liam began, eyes closed trying to maintain control, with difficulty, snarling a growl. "... touch ... my friends" he shouted, widening his eyes.  
Tara was stunned, so Theo from his corner. Mason smiled between a grimace of pain and the other, and even Scott from the ground looked at Liam, with a satisfied grimace on his face.  
"You did it Liam ..." Theo whispered.

  
Because the eyes that Tara met were as scarlet as hers.

  
 

Liam growled, tightening his grip on Tara's neck and knocking her away. "You will pay for what you did," Liam told her. And he attacked. It was a clash between alpha. But Tara also had the Nemeton on her side. Despite Liam's blind fury, he could see that Tara was slightly ahead of him. She anticipated all his moves, and when she could not, she could easily talk and respond with equal violence. Liam stood a few feet, panting, studying the adversary. Even Tara seemed to be catching her breath, but the clash had not taken away that satisfied grin from her face.  
"You can never kill me," she said, laughing. Liam held out his ears. He had heard someone approaching. He recognized the smells. For the first time, Liam laughed too.  
"Who said" he said "that we want to kill you?"

  
Tara's grin was for a moment replaced by a confused expression, before a shot rang out in the clearing. A bullet hit Tara in the stomach. Tara gasped, turning in the direction of the shot, finding himself in front of Malia and a girl she did not know.  
"This is for leaving me dying in the woods," Malia said, lowering her rifle. "Yellow Wolfbane: If you want to be like us, you have also to accept our weaknesses," she continued. Then she turned to her friend "Kira, the sword"

  
 

For a moment Tara's face was crossed by an expression of terror. _The sword? Did they have the sword?_ Yet she knew that Liam and Theo had never got to skinwalkers. Kira snapped her belt into the katana, and stabbed it to the ground.  
Suddenly the ground opened in two. Tara backed away, and Liam imitated her. Theo, from his corner, watched the deep abyss that had once swallowed him. He swallowed, and looked back at his sister first, then Liam.

He was there, motionless, feeling like a coward, and yet there was nothing he could do. He was human, he did not have the strength to fight, but he knew ... that he would not be able to stay there good if Tara had actually shown that she wanted to kill one of his friends ... his pack ... the only family he had ... _Liam_.  
Theo watched his sister fall to her knees, her hand pressed to the wound, but her eyes still scarlet. Probably not even the wolfbane was deadly for one with immense power like hers.

 

On the contrary, one could say otherwise of Malia. The girl put her hand to the wound on her side. Kira looked at her worried "Malia, are you okay?"

"The wound has reopened"

"Why arent you healing?"

"I still have not recovered after she absorbed my streght," she whispered. She gasped, falling to her knees in turn.  
Liam, without losing sight of Tara, approached the two.  
Tara growled. "You will not be able to seal me in there again!" And with what she had to cost her a superhuman effort, she stood up.  
Kira and Liam looked at her in amazement. "No way..." Kira whispered.

  
 

Tara laughed between a mop of pain and another "So ... _kitsune_ " she said "are stronger your lightning or mine?" And she fired an electric shock at Kira, who dodged it. To then respond to the attack.  
Kira on one side, Tara on the other, two lightning colliding in midair. The clearing was invaded by electric shocks. Liam dragged Malia next to Mason and Corey.  
"Mason, how are you?"  
"It's nothing, it's just a scratch." Liam grabbed his hand and absorbed his pain  
"Thank you, dude," he whispered  
"Thanks to you, you saved me," Liam replied.  
Then Liam turned to Corey and with a sharp gesture drew the poisoned coil from Corey's body. Corey groaned "Hold on, Corey, we'll take you to Deaton as soon as possible," he whispered.  
Then he turned to the fight. The two continued the confrontation. Liam stood up and looked for Scott, a few yards away. He saw that he could move his fingers. Perhaps the effect was about to end.  
Then he moved to Alec, still lying against the tree, pale and sweaty. But that nodded to him, which Liam interpreted as "do not worry, I'm already healing".  
Nolan and Lisa were still on the ground, but could not see if they were still unconscious. Peter was still a wolf, unconscious on the ground, his body full of burns.  
Then his gaze went in the direction of Theo. "Stay there," he whispered. "Please, Theo"

At that moment it resounded like an explosion. And Liam knew who had the worst. Kira was thrown a few meters away and landed with a thud across the gap. Tara looked at her to make sure she was really out of the game, then returned to focus on Liam. Then she turned to where Liam knew Theo was. For a moment his heart lost a beat.  
"I know my dear little brother is hiding somewhere," she said with a sneer. "I wonder how long he can be hidden while his _friends_ die because of him" Liam growled. Tara laughed again and looked at him. "Well, anyway, it was my intention to start with you, Liam, and I rejoices to know that I can do it before his eyes." And she attacked again.  
Theo held his breath from his seat. Liam plagued Tara, his purpose was obviously to push her toward the huge gap on the floor. "You're predictable," Tara said, freeing herself from his grip, letting Liam fly into the air. Liam hit the ground on his back and lost his breath for a moment. Probably he had broken something.

  
 

He looked at Tara and the gap behind her. They were only a meter away. It would have been enough so little. "Do you know what I'll do, Theo?" Tara suddenly shouted. "I could paralyze him, and throw him into the creek, and force you to watch him die, does not it look familiar?" Tara drew her claws, approaching Liam. Liam gasped from pain unable to move. "Will you remain as indifferent as you were with me?" she continued, leaning over Liam, and clawing slightly at the wolf's neck, letting the poison slip into his body. "Probably it will remain hidden to watch you die” she whispered to Liam “this is the _monster_ you fell in _love with_ "

  
 

Liam growled "Theo ... _is not a monster!"_ Tara laughed and started to throw at him to give him the coup de grace  
"NOO!" Theo screamed, distraught, coming out of his hiding place. Both turned to him.  
"NO Theo!" Liam screamed, starting to get up, but the paralyzing poison had already begun to take effect.  
"No ..." Theo whispered again. "It's me you want, do not hurt them ... it's just my fault, all of this is my fault ..." Theo looked at Tara, he had to provoke her if he wanted her to focus only on him. "I was the one who killed you, I let you drown in that stream, I ... I took your heart." And he touched his chest with his hand. "And I liked doing it."

Tara snarled, and hurled himself at him, grabbing him by the neck. " _You_..."  
Theo met his sister's gaze as he felt the breath cut off. Theo knew it was right this way. Nobody had to die for him. Only he had to pay for his mistakes, it was his way of redeeming the past.

Tara looked at the gap behind Theo. "I'll throw you to hell," she whispered to his brother. " _That's your place_." She squeezed his throat again.

  
 

Yes, thought Theo, that was his place. It was there that he had to stay. Liam should never have freed him. He deserved everything he had spent there. _He had done everything wrong ..._ Theo closed his eyes just as Tara sank claws into his neck.

  
 

It was not expected, probably Tara could not control the powers of an alpha. But from the displaced look he saw on his sister's face, he knew she was seeing his memories. For a moment Tara saw Theo's life as if it passed before her eyes. That remorse that had never left him ... the pain, the loneliness, the sense of not belonging to anywhere, the certainty of being hated, forgotten .... _then Liam_. Tara was baffled for a moment, and lowered her guard off.

  
And Theo took advantage of it.  
He put his arms around her and took a few steps back

  
 

"NOO" Liam shouted

  
 

" _See you on the other side_ " Theo whispered in his sister's ear, throwing himself together with her in the abyss.

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED._


	14. Your light

"NOOO!" The desperate Liam's cry was the last sound Theo heard, before everything around him turned into darkness. Suddenly he was alone, the oppressive darkness seemed to compress his chest, taking his breath away. He gasped, looking at his breath, forming halos around him. The air was cold.  
He looked around, looking for Tara. But he knew she could not be there. Everyone was alone there. Alone, with the only company of their remorse, their ghosts, ready to pursue you for mistakes.  
So when the scenario began to change around him, drawing the familiar hospital corridor Theo already knew very well, the boy knew what was coming. And he also knew that _that_ Tara was not the same one they had just dealt with. It was the reflection of his pain, the reflection of his guilt.  
She walked toward him, pale, her hair before her face, a gash in his chest, the blood that bathed the white tunic. She moved toward him, and Theo could do nothing but stay there, waiting for his punishment.

*

"THEOO!!" The despair seemed to have shaken Liam's body, which managed to drag himself, fighting against the Kanima poison, towards the edge of the abyss, looking down. "NOO!" he screamed, the tears that began to wet his face. This time he would not stop them, he would not hide them. What was the meaning of hiding it when it could have been too late? What was the point in denying it to himself, denying it to others, when Theo had disappeared again swallowed up by that endless abyss?

"THEOO!"

He heard footsteps around him, not paying much attention to it, his gaze fixed on the darkness, in the vain expectation that Theo would come back, with his usual satisfied grin on his face, saying something arrogant like "You know it's not so easy to get rid of of me"  
But nothing happened.

  
Liam realized that Alec was kneeling beside him, and gasped. "Theo ..." he also called him.  
"Oh god ..." Mason groaned, standing behind them, his hand still pressed against the wound on his arm.  
"Liam ..." A female voice whispered faintly behind him.  
Liam closed his eyes, sobbing, he did not want to look, he did not want to hear anything.

 

Lisa propped herself up with her arms to be able to pull herself up, her pale face twisted with fatigue, completely exhausted. "Liam," she repeated. "He can hear us ... talk to him ..." she said "That place is made to keep not only the people who have committed mistakes but also to hold back those who can not forgive themselves for those mistakes. It uses your remorse, your sense of guilt ... it turns it against you ... through hallucinations ... Theo can not forgive himself for what he did .... for this you managed to imprison him the first time, despite being still alive ... for this now he can not go out alone ... "

Liam managed to turn towards her, now with a glimmer of hope between his tears. She had pulled herself up, unsteady on her legs, but still staggering toward him. Even Nolan had recovered and was sitting leaning against a tree behind her, rubbing his cheekbone. Malia and Kira were wrapped around Corey and Peter, still passed out. Even Scott had pulled himself up, his hand pressed to the wound in the abdomen, weak but already in the healing phase. Liam met his gaze, and the alpha nodded.

Kira gasped. "We have to hurry, we can not keep the gap open for a long time, or it could come out ... something else"  
Liam swallowed, returning his gaze to the bottom of the abyss, with a quick gesture of his hand wiped the tears from his face, smearing his face of dust. But at that moment nothing mattered. Only Theo, that stupid, who in spite of everything, could not forgive himself.

  
 

"Theo... can you hear me?" Liam screamed, his voice echoing inside the chasm. "Damn!! I told you dying was not an option!! So.. you have to get back here... do you understand me?! Even if I had to come down there for you...! You... have nothing to blame yourself. _No more."_ He hit the ground with a fist.

"No matter about the horrible things you did when they manipulated you to make you believe it was the only possible way ... all that matters are the good things you did when you had a chance to _choose_!!" Liam swallowed again, the tears that began to flow copiously, still leaning on the edge of the abyss.

  
 

"You have saved my life... like a million times... I wouldn't be here today if not for you.. You're not just a friend, you're not just pack... _you are my anchor._ I can not do it without you, I can not even _imagine_ going on without you... without your everlastin sour jokes..." Liam laughed through tears "... without that exasperated way in which you look at me when I do something stupid ... or that almost ridiculously affectionate way you look at me when you know I want to punch you ... and you look almost happy that I do it ... without ... "Liam gasped. "... the way you look me in the eye ... that makes all anger disappear, every fear I feel ... and at the same time, makes my heart beat a thousand ... and reminds me that maybe it's not true that I'm a monster ... if someone can look at me like that ... Theo .. please, come back to me .. "The words died in his throat, his eyes closed, the tears that wet the solid ground below him . "Theo ..." he whispered.

*

"Liam ..." Theo whispered, waking up from his torpor. He was back in the dark, he could feel a cold surface against his skin. He felt with his hands around him, and recognized the morgue cell, which was the beginning of every nightmare. He quickly crawled out, for the first time, not following Tara's thought, but Liam's voice calling his name. When he rolled out, he hit the ground with a dull thud and groaned. He turned to the sound of footsteps. Tara stood in front of him, his face expressionless, as cold as death.

  
"Tara ..." Theo mumbled. "Please ... I ... sorry, I'm so sorry ... please ..." He moved back, tears streaming down his face. Tara threw herself on him, clawing at his chest, before he could do anything.

  
 

 _Do you hear me...?_ Liam's voice. Was he dreaming? Was he dying? For a brief moment, despair struck him... _I dont wanna die._ _Dont wanna die_ _without having seen him again._

Then he felt Tara's wrinkled hand clutching his heart, and it was nothing.

 _Theo..._ Again, he was in the cell. That was how it worked. By now Theo knew it very well. It would never be over, never ...

_You have nothing to blame yourself. Not_ _more._ "Yes I have" he whispered in response to the voice in his head. Sometimes he wondered why he did not just stay there? Motionless, in that cell? But then he realized that it was his own remorse to push him to Tara. It was not Tara coming to him, it was he who went to Tara. Because he deserved it. And she was back there again. Before him. Ready to take _her_ heart back. And she did it.

_No matter about the horrible things you did when they manipulated you to make you believe it was the only possible way ... all that matter are the good things you did when you had a chance to choose._

As Tara gripped her heart, before tearing it from his chest, Theo distinctly managed to hear Liam's voice as if he were standing next to him. "Good .. things..?" he mumbled, looking at Tara, who was holding his heart in his hand, before everything was dark again.

  
 

_You are my anchor. I can not do it without you, I can not even imagine going on without you..._

"Liam!" Theo widened his eyes, back into the cold cell. He felt his heart beating in his chest, to the point that he feared that he would be splashed out by himself this time. He looked around desperately.

 

_Theo.. please, come back to me..._

 

"LIAM!" Theo breathed in and out. For the first time, he did not want to get out of that cell.

  
 

*

Liam could not look away from the abyss, still sobbing. He did not even shake when Alec came closer and put a hand on his shoulder. Scott was still stood up and was now next to Mason behind them. Nolan supported Lisa, and together they peered at the chasm with deep anguish.  
Alec imitated them, and took a deep breath. He did not know if he could make a difference but he wanted to say something too. Something he wanted to say to Theo a while ago, as they wandered through those tunnels, before the shadow stop him.

 

 _Here is where shadows live._ Theo had said, and Alec knew he was talking about himself.

"Theo ..." Alec whispered, everyone slowly turned to him, he breathed in again. "That time, in the tunnels ... you told me you were a shadow," he said. "Maybe it's true, who of us ... does not have a little shadow inside? Something that we will carry in forever ... but do you know ? No matter about your shadows, Theo ... because they disappear in your light "

  
Everyone remained silent. Then Nolan also spoke. "Theo ... I did not know about you in the past, and I do not care who you were. I only know the Theo who saved my life, not once, but twice ... the Theo who took Gabe's pain ... Even if we were enemies, even if we were trying to kill you ... and that Theo is my friend, that Theo is my pack, that Theo deserves to come back here "  
Liam looked at his friends, feeling a sweet close to his heart, at the thought that Theo, who had always felt alone, that he had always isolated and stayed back, had finally someone who believed in him. And he took a second to think that his friends certainly was better to express their feelings, unlike him, who had babbled only confused words.

 

"Theo ..." Lisa whispered "Even I did not know the past you, but I saw your heart. Yes, I know what you think, I'm a noisy ..." she said with a sad smile ".. ..but I know there is nothing evil in your heart, I heard it beating, I heard it wavering ... that heart is absolutely _yours_ "

"I never thanked you" Mason said suddenly, taking a step forward. "Even if you did it for your selfish plans" he smiled sadly "thanks for bringing me back Corey, and thanks for saving my life despite the horrible things I just told you. _Thank you, Theo_ "

"Theo, you have to come back here, do you know?" then added Scott, looking down. "You know, I could have forgiven you for almost killing me, but ..." he said ironically "I will not forgive you if you keep making my beta cry"

Liam also smiled in tears, before returning to look down. "Did you hear, Theo?" he screamed again almost growling now. "All we're waiting for you, and we wont leave 'til you come back! Can you hear me ?! You said I'm your anchor... then, damnit, _hold on to me_ ... hold on to my voice ... if you hear me, _get out of here_! "

 

*

 

_Theo..._ Theo jumped up from the ground, and this time he ran out of the morgue. He found himself in a long corridor. _You have save my life...._ _All the good things you've done..._ Liam's voice was like a distant echo. He turned around when he heard the elevator clinking. Suddenly it was as if he were reliving the scene, standing there watching himself grab Liam and throw him into the elevator. "What are you doing?!" he shouted "Being the bait" "NO!"  
  
Then the scene changed. He was outdoors, he saw himself running towards a tangle of people. He recognized Liam fighting a ghost rider. He saw himself hit him. "Hey!You made it up!," Liam said, so relieved. "What's your plan?" "Stealing a horse and joining the hunt" answered the beta "Are you kidding? I 've been through all this to keep you from being taken!"

 

Then again, the scene changed. _Theo ..._ He turned around again, this time he had heard a different voice. Alec's voice . But around it only saw trees. Was he in the woods?

 

 _No matter about your shadows, Theo...._ "Scott, you more than anyone should know that a lone wolf has no hope to survive" Theo heard Professor Douglas's voice, and leaned forward to look at the scene. "He is not alone" he heard himself exclaim "We are a pack"

 

 _....cuz they disappear in your light._ Now he was at the zoo, he saw Liam repeatedly hit the wall in an attempt not to hurt Nolan, who stood before him, terrified....

 

 _Theo... I dont care who you were._ Nolan's voice spoke in his head as the himself of his memory knocked Liam out with a fist.

 

 _I only know the Theo who has saved my life._ "Run"

 

 _Not once but twice..._ Now he was at the creek, and he ran to get Nolan out of the icy water that had swallowed him.

 

 _Even if we were enemies, even if we were trying to kill you..._ Suddenly he was back at the hospital. Next to Melissa and Liam, he watched himself take Gabe's pain who was slowly dying in front of him.

 _That Theo is my friend, that Theo is my pack, that Theo deserves to be here._ Theo felt the tears wet his face, this time it was not because of pain. They were tears that had never cried. Tears of happiness.  
He touched his chest. The heart beating quickly in the rib cage, but that heart .... that heart .... Theo gasped, suddenly found himself again in front of the morgue, and Tara walked slowly towards him.  
"No ..." he whispered, stepping back. Then he turned his back and ran away.

 _Theo..._ Lisa's voice.

 _I saw your heart_ Theo stopped again. The scene was changing again. They were in the car. He and Liam. "I had to knock you out" "How many times?" "Five," he replied smiling. His first real smile. No grins, no teasing. It was a warm smile for that little boy, in which he could not help but mirror himself, who could not help but protect. The first time he had felt his heart beating him slightly faster in his chest.

 _There's nothing evil in your heart._ Then the scenes followed each other as if someone had pressed the fast forward

  
Liam sleeping, holding his hand, the way he had felt safe.

  
"All I know is you are my fucking anchor!"

  
Liam shooting at the ghost rider who was killing him.

  
"But ... I will fight with you"

 _I heard it beating_ "Theo, join Liam at the hospital and get him out of here" Scott's voice at the phone

The elevator doors opening, and Theo grabbing Liam to drag him away from the gunfire.

  
"I will not die for you" A lie.

 

“Do you know how to ride an horse?” “Not really”

 

 _I heard it_ _wavering_ _..._ "Lisa... run..." He gasped as the shadow choked him in his grip.

  
"Run," he had shouted to Alec, pushing back with his hand in a protective gesture.

 

_That heart is absolutly yours_

 

"Good, you didn't kill him" he was saying toLiam, looking Gabe , blooding, slumped on the ground. "Why do you keep try saving me?" he had answered him. Question he had never answered.

“We're a pack" Alec had told him as they walked toward the tunnels.

  
"If I have to be the alpha, I want you in my pack, Theo" _Liam_.

  
"Despite that thing scared me, it scares me more to turn my back to you" Mason shouted

 _Thank you for saving my life, Theo._ Yet Theo had sensed the danger and pushed him away. He had tried to take his pain.

_"You cant take the pain if you don't care"_

"I care" Theo whispered as the pictures faded away "I care..."

_Thank you, Theo_

_Theo, you have to come back here, do you know?_

_Scott._ "I'm so sorry...Scott... I'm so sorry..." Theo whispered, hearing his voice.

_All we're waiting for you, and we wont leave 'til you come back_

  
 

 _Liam._ His heart began to beat furiously in his chest. He felt a hand grip him, forcing it to turn around. Tara was back in front of him. "No" he whispered, while she clawed at his chest.

 _You said I'm your anchor..._ "I don't want this" Theo whispered. He raised a hand slowly.

 _Then, damnit, hold on to me..._ "I do not want to die, I do not want it to end like that," he whispered.

 _Hold on to my voice..._ "I'm sorry for everything, Tara," he said with tears in his eyes. With his hand he finally encircled his sister's wrist and pushed it away from his chest

 _Get out of here!!_ _"_ Now it does not belong to you anymore ... I'm sorry," he sobbed. Tara looked at him for a moment that seemed like an eternity.

Then, she closed her eyes and disappeared, leaving Theo alone and upset.

*

"Guys ..." Kira spoke slowly, cracked, "We can not wait any longer," she said.  
"No, a little more," Liam pleaded. "He can do it, I'm sure ..." His voice broke in his throat.  
Scott put a hand on his shoulder. "Liam ..." He shook his head. "No..."  
"Do you hear it?" Alec suddenly said, looking down. "Something is approaching"

  
Everyone approached the chasm, looking down. "Theo!" Liam screamed.  
Scott gasped as he grabbed Liam pulling him back "It's not Theo"

  
Everyone stepped back, just as a pale hand appeared over the edge, clinging hard to get out. She gave a slight push, and Tara's face, furious and cold, appeared.  
"No way” Nolan mumbled.

  
Tara gave out what might have sounded like a growl, if only she had had fangs. She left the chasm and looked at the pack in front of her. The furious gaze was replaced by a confused and shocked look. She looked at her hands, which were remained normal human hands. Her eyes were pitch black again. "What does it mean..?" whispered.  
"It's part of the punishment," Lisa said. "The powers obtained by killing or cheating are lost.The chasm brings you back to your original essence, that's how you pay your crimes" Tara looked at her in shock.  
"So that's why when Theo came out of the chasm the first time he had lost Tracy, Josh and Scott's powers?" Mason asked  
"Yes" Tara made another sound like a subdued growl.  
"Why did he stay a chimera then?" Kira asked. "He had killed for that power"  
Lisa looked at her, then looked at Tara "Because he was not judged guilty for that"

  
 

Tara widened her eyes. " _He has killed me_ "

"He was manipulated, they tricked him, he was just a child!" Liam exclaimed "He has brought remorse with him for a lifetime, and that is the only thing that holds him down there right now! The only thing he can not really be blamed for"  
"I ..." Tara moved forward "... I will kill you all" But something stopped her.

  
Tara looked down, and paled. A hand had grabbed her by the ankle and was pulling her down hard. Tara screamed and fell to the ground, dragged towards the abyss. "Noo!" howled, as she turned to face who was pulling her into the abyss. With a push, Theo leaned over the edge.  
"Theo!" everybody exclaimed.

" _You_ _..._ " Tara gave him a last glance of hatred, before someone kicked her in the face making her lose her grip on the ground. At the same time Theo let go and closed his eyes to avoid looking, while Tara fell to the bottom of the abyss.  
Then he looked up at his savior.

  
Lisa stood panting "This was for possessing me, bitch"  
Then she bent over Theo, Liam and Scott joined her immediately, helping him get out. Theo stood there one step from the chasm, on his knees, breathless and without force. Liam leaned close to him. "How are you?!"  
"Like someone who just crawled out of Hell," he said, gasping.

  
Liam smiled at him, and threw his arms around him, holding him so tightly that he thought he'd broken a few ribs at some point. But Theo answered the embrace, sinking his head into the hollow between Liam's neck and shoulder.

  
"Thanks," Theo whispered. "I heard your voices, of everyone of you"  
Everyone had gathered around them, and they looked at them, moved. Scott looked at Malia. "Are you going to cry?" she asked her.  
"I had dust in my eyes," she said dryly. Scott smiled amused, before returning to watch Liam and Theo.  
"Kira, I think we need to close this gap," said Nolan. "I can almost hear the souls shaking there"  
"And what are they saying?" Alec asked curiously  
"I guess you do not want to know"

  
Kira grabbed the hilt of the sword and turned it counterclockwise, the gap, as it opened, closed in front of their eyes. Theo stood there staring at it for a few seconds, still in Liam's arms. The boy pulled away, holding his hands on his shoulders, and looked him in the eye

  
"It's over," he said.  
Theo looked at him and breathed a sigh of relief "I feel like I'm just starting now"  
Liam could only smile.

*

_Two weeks after_

Liam could say that it was almost pleasant to go back to school. The bell rang and he paused for a moment to look at the building in front of him. Suddenly someone patted him on the shoulder, and Liam turned and smiled at Mason, and Corey appeared beside him.  
"It's good to be here," Mason said as if he had read his mind.  
"Yes," he answered. Then he looked up. Nolan and Lisa came towards them, Nolan with one arm around the girl's shoulders, both smiling. They raised their arms in greeting, reaching them.  
"Please teach me"  
"What part of me made you think I'd be a patient teacher?" Liam turned with a smile behind him, where Theo and Alec approached.  
"You do not have to be patient, you just have to teach me to turn into a fuckin wolf"  
"When I start to punch you, do not complain"  
"Do you ever think we should have more normal friends?" Mason asked Liam.  
"Every single day"  
And they walked together to school, to enjoy the last three months of peace that remained to them.

  
 

*

"Are you leaving?" Liam asked Scott, facing the door of his house and seeing him fumbling with a bag, his fist still raised as if he were about to knock. Scott turned to look at him.  
"Yes, we have to go back to work, Braeden is waiting for us"  
Liam looked at him bitterly. "I would like to come with you"  
"I know, but you'll have your chance, right after graduation"  
Liam looked at him. "It's going to happen, right?" Scott looked away from his beta. "There will be a war," Liam continued.  
Scott hesitated just a moment "Yes ... we do not know what will happen, but we can not hide anymore, it's something ... bigger than us, something we can not avoid anymore"  
"People will die" Liam reflected.  
"People will always die, but at least they will know why they dies, they will die fighting for their companions, fighting for what they are, for what they believe" Scott put a hand on his shoulder. "I'm proud of you , you know?"  
Liam smiled at him. "Really?"  
"Yes, you're no longer the frightened and angry kid you were two years ago, now you're a true alpha ... like me" And he hugged him tightly.  
Liam returned his grip. Scott broke from his embrace, and looked Liam in the eye. "You know, remember the last time we found ourselves on the brink of war?"  
"Barely" said Liam ironically.  
"Well, Malia told me something, that I want to tell you now," Liam looked at him. "She told me that there were so many things she wanted to do before she died, that she regretted not having done, and that she did not want to have more regrets" Scott gripped him by the shoulders "Liam, enjoy these last months of normal, live, have fun, do not think about anything, and no regrets, ok? " Scott gave him a meaningful look, and Liam nodded.  
"Okay, no regrets"  
"Good" He patted his shoulder, before loading his bag over his shoulder and out the door.  
"We will meet again"

  
 

*

"Liam" Mason looked at him in surprise when he found him at the door. "Why are you here? Did not we have to meet tonight?" Liam shrugged and entered, following Mason into the dining room.  
"Mason," he said, tearing his hands nervously. "I'm about to go to Theo," he told him then.  
Mason looked at him as if he did not understand the usefulness of that information. Then a glimmer of understanding passed over his face. "Oh" He pushed Liam down on the couch and sat him down, before sitting next to him. "Okay," he added. "What do you think to tell him?"  
"I have no clue," Liam said.  
"Okay, let's go step by step, is this your tremendously adorable way of coming out with me?"  
Liam paled, opening his mouth wide. "I'm not gay," he said.  
Mason snorted. "Yes sure"  
"I'm serious" Liam added "If you now show me the poster of Gabriel Garko naked that you hid in the closet, I would not feel anything"  
Mason paled "How do you know about the poster?"  
"Please, Mason ..." he sighed  
"Please do not tell Corey." Liam crossed his fingers in a sign of promise. "Okay, so ... if you're not gay, you're not bi, what are you?" Mason asked him, with a laugh.  
"You would think am I strange or crazy if I told you ... that I do not like boys ... and that ... well ... I _only_ like Theo?"  
Mason looked at his best friend blush like a pepper at the confession. He put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not strange, you're not crazy, you're just in love, so go for it"  
Liam looked at him surprised.  
"What are you waiting for? Go for him!" he added, giving him a slight push.  
"What should I tell him?" Liam exclaimed, suddenly terrified.  
"Something will surely come to your mind," said Mason, pushing him toward the door with a smile.  
"Mason!"  
"You could start as usual," he said, grabbing the door to close it.  
"How ?!"  
"Give him a punch on the nose"  
And he closed the door in his face.

  
 

*

Liam knew where he would find Theo. It was there that he spent most of the afternoons, since the passage had closed on his sister two weeks ago, and Kira had definitely destroyed the sword. As he approached the stream, he clearly sensed the boy's presence. He stopped for a moment to stare at him. He was still, looking at the water beneath him, letting some white lilies slip into it. Liam remembered that the first time he saw him, he was exactly there and did exactly the same thing. The sweet smell of soap was the same. Even the sadness was the same, but this time there was another smell. Somehow it seemed relief, happiness, affection ... Liam could almost hear from his beats that Theo felt the heart beating in his chest less heavy.  
"Theo ..." he did as he approached.  
Theo turned to look at him. "Hey"  
"I was sure you were here" He joined him and stared at the lilies floating in the water.  
Theo imitated him. "I felt I had to do it," he whispered.  
Liam looked at him intently. "How do you feel?"

  
"I'm not well, not yet, but ... I feel it will be better" Theo answered his gaze. "You know ..." Theo said, putting a hand on his chest "I understood, what you meant, when you told me that my heart no longer belonged to Tara, I did not believe it that day, but now I begin to understand it "  
Liam looked at him, waiting for him to continue. Theo remained fixed on the lilies that floated away as he continued to speak. "Before I was locked up there, it was like ... frozen, I do not think it could feel anything, they taught me to repress emotions, manipulate them, control them, sometimes I even doubted it was there. When you freed me, everything changed, I started to feel things that I had never known, and that's when it started really beating, and I felt alive again, that's what I meant when I told you I was dead before I met you. "He breathed in. "I understood that it no longer belonged to Tara, because if it was really hers .... she could never hurt you, because she would have heard it beating for you, she would have felt how desperately I wanted to protect you"

  
Liam held his breath, and looked for a moment at Theo's face, he could see the faint blush on his cheeks, then looked away, staring at the lilies in the water.  
He heard Mason's voice on his head shouting "Go for it." But he did not know how to begin. He felt his heart rapidly increase his beating. He put a hand on his chest.

  
 

 _My heart is beating for you too_ he though. But maybe it was too cheesy to say. He could already hear Theo's laughter in his ears. .

He was starting to get nervous. He certainly did not want the fangs to come out at that moment! He inhaled.  
"Liam, are you okay?" Theo asked him, looking up at him and placing a hand on his shoulder. Liam could literally feel the shivering all over his body from the point where Theo had touched him.  
"Yes ... I just greeted Scott"  
"Has he left?"  
Liam nodded. "He said there will be a war, to enjoy the last months of peace" He breathed again.  
"What do you think about it?"  
Liam stuck his eyes in Theo's green ones "I think I want no regrets," he said suddenly. "I have always acted impulsively, letting anger lead me to do even wrong things"  
"I know," commented Theo, with a smile  
"Yet I never managed to be impulsive when it came to beautiful things, I always panic and say or do the wrong thing"  
"Actually you're a little clumsy," commented Theo with another even wider smile.

"Do you have to sarcastically comment on everything I say?" Liam inquired.  
"Yes, that's the best part of talking to you." Liam looked at him badly. "You were saying?"  
Liam sighed resignedly. "That I'm clumsy.Yes, you're right ..." Liam hesitated "Even ... with Hayden, she hated me, we did nothing but bicker, I'd punched her once"  
"Are you serious?" Theo exclaimed.  
"By mistake, then she made me a black eye"  
"'m starting to like her" Liam looked at him again badly.  
He wondered if he would let him finish, once and for all. Or he would have really finished to punch him.  
"Anyway, I realized too late what I felt for her, I waited to be honest at the moment she was about to die"  
Theo came back serious. Why did he talk to him about Hayden? He wondered. He felt a lump in his throat.  
"This time I do not want to wait to be on the verge of dying," Liam finally blurted out, looking into his eyes. Theo felt his heart skip a beat. "I want to be honest from the beginning, I want to have the time of living it every day, even if it scares me so much ..." Liam continued to look Theo in the eye.  
Theo gasped, trying to swallow, lost in the blue eyes of the boy in front of him. "What ... what scares you?" he asked in a whisper.

  
 

"I'm afraid of losing you Theo." Liam blurted out in a whisper. "A crazy fear that makes me feel a lump in my throat and does not let me breathe. I'm afraid that every day could be the last one .... I'm afraid because you're not just my anchor... Theo ..." Liam gasped, trying to let the words out "I... _'m falling for you_ "

  
 

Theo remained staring at him, unable to speak. The heart a thousand, as if to remind him at every scalp that belonged to him. That was really his, and now he had clear proof. He tried to say something, but the words did not seem to want to go out. What was with him? He was not that clumsy. He was the one who always had a line for everything. But after spending months thinking about Liam, months wondering what it would have been like if he had reciprocated him, how it would have been to kiss him , _feel_ him, now Theo seemed to have lost the ability to reason. The heart was about to burst from happiness.

  
 

"Theo" Liam said "I hear your heart" Theo blushed. It was his, yes, and it was a traitorous heart.

Liam took a step back. But Theo held him back, grabbing him by the arm. "You're an idiot," he said, before pulling him toward him.

  
 

And he kissed him.

Liam stood still for a moment, before kiss him back, putting his arms around his waist and clinging hard to his shirt, while Theo, with hands behind Liam's neck, moving fingers through his blond hair, pushed him more towards him to deepen the kiss. They continued to squeeze, and to enjoy each millimeter of each other's lips until they had to separate to catch their breath. But they remained one against the forehead of the other, eyes still closed.

 

"Did you just give me an idiot before kiss me?" Liam said, with a fake offended tone.  
Theo laughed "Only an idiot could fall in love with someone like me ... but it's all right, I think ... I'm an idiot too" Theo opened his eyes to meet Liam's blue ones "Because _I'm falling for you too_ "

 

And he kissed him again.

Maybe that was how it had to go, Theo thought, in the same place where he had stopped loving by killing Tara, turning his heart into a block of ice, now he was told that it was okay to start over. Start loving again. Start living again. Starting over with Liam.

  
"Theo" Liam whispered against his lips. The two parted again, and Liam took a breath, stepping back, hands on Theo's shoulders. "I ... I was wondering ... I thought about it in these two weeks ... because I do not really like the idea that you are so ... vulnerable now ... and I know you do not really like it too.. " he babbled in a confusing way.  
Theo frowned. "Is this the panic you were talking about?"  
"Yes," Liam exclaimed. "Here" Liam closed his eyes, thinking that a gesture was worth a thousand words. He opened them again showing him the scarlet irises.  
"Do you want to become my beta?" he asked at the end suddenly  
Theo looked at him for a moment, then smiled at him, nodding.  
"Actually I've always been," he said, holding out his hand. Liam smiled at him, taking his hand and walking with him through the wood, far from that icy torrent.

 

"So..." Theo started "...where do you prefer to bite me?"

"I'm looking forward to trasform you only to be able to punch you again”

  
 

  
 

  
 

TO BE CONTINUED.

*********************************************************************************************

_**The story consists of two narrative arcs, the first ends here, the second will resume from the next chapter and will be more centered on the war....** _


	15. Gathering

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Second arc's synopsis:   
> (Taken from chapter 18) "There was that symbol and those dates, and that girl, Maya, claimed not to remember who she was, but to know who they were, there were the Peacemakers and there was this imminent end announced by a voice in Nolan's head and from an old legend that probably only Deaton remembered. Then there were hunters, there were chimeras, and there was war, and they could not help wondering if things were connected or not "

_Three months after_

  
 

Liam got out of the car just as Theo pulled up. He closed the door behind him and looked around.  
Then he looked anxiously at the boy next to him. Theo grimaced, as if to say 'we have to'.  
"I swear I'll kill Scott if I lose my graduation ceremony," Liam said, taking a few steps forward.  
He could already hear the rumble of music as they approached the entrance of the club.  
"We just have to recover an omega in a night club, what may go wrong?" Theo asked sarcastic.  
"Do not say it, the last time you said it I found myself in my underwear on an abandoned road in Texas"  
Theo laughed, thinking back to that day. "I swear I will not leave you in your underwear in the middle of the dance floor." Then he walked toward the entrance.  
Liam snorted before following him. "I do not dance"  
"Do you have any idea what it looks like?" Theo asked, dropping the man at the entrance $ 50.  
"According to Braeden's information, she's a coyote girl, she's been spotted several times in this area, apparently she has just been bitten and still has difficulty controlling herself"  
Theo looked at the boy "that's why are we here today?" Liam nodded. "How are you?"  
Liam met the boy's gaze with a smile. "I have no problems with the full moon ... if you are with me"  
Theo looked at him and laughed. "Well, let's hurry up and find her, so we can go back to sleep"

  
The place was packed with people, the music was very high, even for human hearing. The psychedelic lights were probably more intoxicating than alcohol.  
"Do you smell something?" Liam shouted to Theo. He had always been better at catching the chemo-signs of others.  
But Theo shook his head. "I only feel sweat, alcohol and ..."  
"Lust?" Liam suggested in a sneer. "Nightclubs are a torture for a werewolf," he added.  
"I've never been before," Theo admitted as they moved around the floor.  
Liam looked at him skeptically. "Seriously, have you ever been to the disco?"  
"Yes, Liam, me and the doctors always went on Saturday night, after an aperitif at the bar and a dinner at the restaurant" he said sarcastically. Liam looked at him for a moment. "What's up?"  
"I was imagining the scene" Theo gave him a light shove, laughing.  
Liam laughed in turn and leaned towards the barman "Two beers"  
"But are you 21 years old?" he asked, looking at them sideways.  
"What about 20 dollars?" Theo retorted, extending a bill on the table. He looked at it for a moment before shrugging, slipping it into his pocket and serving them.  
"$ 20 for a beer we'll dispose of in two minutes," Liam said, taking a sip.  
"I begin to understand why you hated this plan" Theo looked at him, putting his beer on the counter "And now you will hate it even more"  
Liam looked at him questioningly. Before Theo grabbed his hand, dragging him to the dancefloor "Oh no ... no no forget it, I told you, I do not dance"  
Theo looked at him pleadingly. "Since we're here we might as well have fun, or do you want me to look for another dance buddy?"  
"You're an asshole," Liam replied, dragging himself into the crowd. "Small dirty manipulator rectifier ..." His words stifled by the music, the screams and the amused laugh of his boyfriend.

  
 

*

"News from Liam?" Scott inquired as he entered the large living room of Derek's loft.  
Malia turned to look at him. "Still nothing"  
She slid onto the couch next to Lydia, sending a message. Once finished she slid the phone on the table and looked up at the other two. "Stiles"s he simply said "He says the FBI has been alerted to a possible serial killer in New Orleans, the victims have all the same scratches and bites"  
"A werewolf?" asked Malia.  
Lydia shook her head doubtfully. "I think it's something else. Stiles says he saw the pictures of the victims, they all had a tattoo on their wrists. A pack's tattoo"  
Scott's eyes widened. "A werewolf who kills another werewolf?" He looked at the two friends one by one. Malia snorted.  
"I think it's worth a ride in New Orleans," Lydia said. Scott sighed.

  
The hunter situation was stalled in the last few months. Although they continued to monitor the situation, there were no attacks. This had given them time to organize.  
After the university session, Malia, Scott and Lydia had returned to Beacon Hills, and for a few days they had settled in the Derek loft.  
Derek, Peter, Chris and Braeden had left for a week for South America.  
Jackson and Ethan continued to enlist members in London, while Isaac had decided to join them for a while. He would arrive the next day from France.  
Stiles, on the other hand, was still stuck for a few more weeks in Virginia, but this allowed them to be informed about various attacks.  
But this made them think that probably even Monroe was taking advantage of the time to organize herself.  
The next day would be the day of the meeting. Liam and his pack would graduate. And then they would be divided. Everyone would have had his mission. It was time to get serious.

 

*

 

"Are you ok Nolan?" Nolan just nodded, sitting in front of the headstone of what had been his best friend. Lisa approached him and put a hand on his shoulder.  
"He should have graduated with us," the boy whispered, gazing at the name, _Gabe_ , carved in stone. "It should not have been like that"  
Lisa leaned over, hugging him from behind. "He will not be dead in vain, we will avenge his end"  
Nolan slumped against his girlfriend's warm body, and closed his eyes. "I'm afraid," he whispered. "I'm even afraid of being afraid, the last time, it was the one that took me to do the wrong things"  
"It is normal to be afraid, but we will face it, all together, as always" she reassured him. "Come on, stand here in the dark makes me nervous, I've seen enough ghosts for a lifetime"  
Nolan gave an amused snort. "I guess you're right," he said, standing up, his hand intertwined with hers.  
It was at that moment that he felt a cold shiver down his spine. Nolan stiffened.

 

 

  
 

_Run..._

Nolan looked around. "What's up?" Lisa asked him, looking at him, hands still together.  
"Did you hear that voice?"  
"What voice?" Lisa also looked around.

_Run..._

Nolan swallowed. "What's up, Nolan?" she exclaimed.

 

_It's coming_

  
 

"Ga..Gabe?" Lisa looked at him upset.

  
 

_It's coming._

  
 

"What's coming?" Nolan repeated, the words echoing in the silence of the night. Lisa was even more agitated. She tightened her grip on the boy's hand.

  
For a moment it was silence. Nolan swallowed again, terrified at the thought of hearing the answer as much as he was terrified at the idea of not hearing that voice anymore. "What's coming ?!" he repeated even louder.

  
_The end._

  
 

_*_

Theo laughed. "You're ridiculous"  
"Did I tell you you're an asshole?"  
"Do you mean today or since I know you?" Liam glared at him, flinging his arms down his sides. "You're a piece of wood, I can do it better and I've never done." He laughed again.  
Liam rolled his eyes "Well, you're perfect in everything you do, Mr. Modest"  
"Thank you"

  
The old Liam would have gone crazy before the jokes of the old Theo, but now just see the boy laughing so heartily felt that it was enough to repay him for everything. And he would have been willing to be fooled all his life, to dance awkwardly in front of everyone, just to hear him laugh like that.  
Theo slipped his hand into his and got closer. "Maybe a slow dance would be easier?" he whispered.  
"You can not dance a slow with the hardcore as background," Liam snorted.  
"I can do everything" answered the other, sliding his other hand on his side and getting even closer. Their bodies swayed slowly as if they were dancing a slow. "You stepped on my foot," Theo whispered, continuing to move as if nothing had happened  
"Sorry," Liam replied in a whisper of reply.  
Theo smiled. "You're an idiot" And he put his lips on other's lip in a chaste kiss.  
Liam smiled in the kiss and went to deepen it, when a scream broke above the clamor of music, at least for their supernatural hearing. The two looked at each other confused, before moving in tacit consent in the same direction.

  
"I think it came from the back," Theo said. In the race they probably had caused the fall of some unstable drunk dancer, but in a moment they were outdoors. The sultry air of June that made the feeling of sweat on their skin even more unbearable.

They looked around. A movement at the end of the alley. "Come on," Liam whispered, following the source of the rustle. It was a dead end.  
Theo looked up at the wall in front of them, only a couple of feet taller than them. "I think she jumped over there," he said, before leaping over the wall.  
"Theo!" Liam had time to say, but the boy was already there.  
"Move on Liam," he said, his voice muffled by the wall.  
"I hate heights," the other muttered, snorting  
"You're an alpha werewolf, for God's sake." In a moment Liam was at his side. "Are you about to throw up?"  
"Perhaps" If he had not been about to throw up for the jump, it would have been now that the macabre spectacle presented itself before his eyes.

  
"Oh my god," Theo muttered, going first. He took out his fangs, and made his golden eyes sparkle to see better in the dark, and through the trees that marked the deserted street. There were one, two, three corpses. The bodies had been gutted, the blood dipped the dry ground beneath them. Theo swallowed. When a growl forced him to turn around. There was a human figure that had little of a human, to the delimit of the forest, eyes that gleamed blue.  
Liam reached the boy ready to face the enemy. He felt his heart leap in his throat. "Is it ... is it ...?"  
"A wendigo" answered Theo. Liam did not like the Wendigo. "But ..." he continued. "This smell ..."  
"They said it was a coyote," Liam snapped in a nervous whisper.

A flash of awareness passed over Theo's face as the creature hurled itself at them. Liam shifted Theo, and lunged toward the creature, pulling it away a few feet. "Yes, I think she is our omega!" he shouted to the other, a few meters from him.  
Theo glanced at the figure. From what was possible to see, it was definitely a girl, and she wore a shirt with the logo of the club and her name on her chest. _Mina_. Liam growled, the red eyes that crossed those of the creature. And with all the strength he had, he called his name.

  
Scott had explained to him that an alpha could make in this way a supernatural creature come to its senses . And it actually worked. The creature's eyes turned back to chocolate, and lost its monstrous shape. An expression of relief mixed with fear and confusion crossed the young girl's face, before ... one, two, three arrows pierced her chest and throat.

 

Mina's expression became surprised and terrified before she fell to the ground. Dead.  
Theo groaned as Liam backed away before looking for the source. There was a rustling sound before someone emerged from the darkness, the crossbow in his hand, stretched toward them. The light of the moon lit up the face of a brown-hair boy, the hard expression, not much older than them.

  
First he met Liam's red eyes, then Theo's golden ones and lowered his crossbow. Theo felt the tension abandon him, and a confused expression was drawn on his face. "Who are you? Why did you kill her?"  
"You can go" he answered only, remaining motionless.

Liam growled at him, "Are you an hunter? Are you with Monroe?"  
He made a puff of amusement. "I would not say, she's on my list too"

  
Theo's expression became even more confusing. The look slipped on the curious tattoo that covered the entire right arm of the boy. "What do you mean?"  
He glanced between Liam and Theo. "It's what we do, _we kill who kills_ ," he replied, turning to look back.

  
 

"Hey where do you think you're goin'!? _We_...? Who're you talking about? _Who are you?!_ Liam called him out, moving a step forward.

But Theo stopped him with a wave of his hand. "Let him go, Liam," he whispered.  
"See you soon" teh hunter said, before disappearing into the woods.  
Liam stood still for a moment, panting, then turned to Theo, upset. "Why did you stop me? What was he talking about?"  
"I ... I'm not sure," answered Theo. "Come, we have to go back and report"

  
"Report?" Liam looked desperately at the girl lying a few yards away from them in a pool of blood.  
Theo sighed. Then he took a few steps forward and bent down to pick up the body in his arms. Liam looked at him for a moment undecided. "We can not leave her here like that," Theo just said, sadly.  
Liam nodded. Then he followed the boy to the pick-up.

  
Incredible but true, nobody noticed them. They were probably used to people dragging collapsed and drunk friends, not to recognize a corpse. Theo gently placed the girl on the back of his truck and covered her with a blanket. Then he stood for a moment looking at the uneven pile.  
"Are you OK?" Liam asked softly.  
"No ... we had to save her"  
"We can not always save everyone," Liam said. "It's hard to accept, but it's like that"  
"Maybe she was a murderer, but ... she could not be aware of it ... She could ... have not been in herself"

  
Liam wondered if Theo was talking about Mina or himself. He did not answer, but put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, we have to report, then we'll find out what's going on"

  
 

*

"Okay, tell me again why I have to lead him around?," Stiles snapped, looking at his roommates one by one.  
Closer to him, Nick, snorted. "Because you are the best of us, _Mischief_ "  
Stiles glared at the use of the nickname, which was also a crippling of his real name, which he never used to use. "It's basically a way of saying that I'm the most nerd, boring of the course that has nothing better to do on the day off"  
"Right" all four did in chorus.  
"They had to call you Mischief, it would have suit you," he said, before turning their backs on them and throwing himself on the bed. He picked up the phone to check if Lydia had replied to his email.

  
 

 

_We'll take a ride to check at New Orleans. I miss you, when u come back?_

  
 

Stiles sighed. He could have gone home on the weekend, if he had not been stuck in the orientation week. A couple of students had to stay in place to guide students interested in visiting the FBI headquarters, students who would then enroll in the Pre-FBI course, and he obviously had the good fortune of being one of those.  
Ian Harrington, was the name of the student he was supposed to host in his room and wandering around. Stiles prayed that the week would fly fast.  
Suddenly the idea of hunting hunters seemed even more tantalizing than it had been before.  
And then he could not wait to see everyone again. Lydia, Scott, Malia, Kira. And he absolutely had to have a chat with Liam about his tastes of boys, because in his opinion, like that it was definitely not right.  
He turned over in bed. A week with an eighteen year old. It had been worse, at least this Ian was not a sociopath, werewolf, with intermittent explosive disorder. _Or at least I hope._

  
 

_*_

"Why are we here?" Liam whispered to Theo as they come down from the pickup.  
"Why do you speak in a low voice?" Theo asked him, imitating his low tone. He leaned forward to retrieve the body, hoisting it on his shoulders with the whole blanket.  
Liam shrugged. "I have a feeling something is wrong," he said.  
"That's what I want to understand, so I have to talk to Deaton"  
"And we could not do it tomorrow, in the light of the sun?" Liam asked sarcastically, following Theo beyond the door.  
"The meeting is set tomorrow evening, if there are things we do not know, we must ... know them before then." Theo spread his body on the operating table.  
"It seems easy said so" Liam commented. "So what's going on in your head?"  
"Look" Theo only discovered the girl's left hand to show it to Liam.  
The claws were still in full view "What?"  
"Look at them, see that substance?"  
Liam approached, then he opened his eyes. "Do not tell me that ...?"  
Theo nodded, covering again the hand with the blanket.  
"How is it possible?" Liam asked in shock. ".... _is it a chimera?_ "

  
 

*

She wandered through the dark streets. She heard the screeching of the brakes, the noise of the clasons, the buzz of the people, but it was as if she did not really hear them. She was elsewhere. her mind was elsewhere. Lost.  
Someone hit her on the side, causing her to fall to the ground. "Hey little girl, be careful where you put your feet," shouted the man behind her, his voice distorted by alcohol, as he staggered away.  
"Hey are you okay?" a steadier, more gentle voice said. She felt a hand pulling her up. Her eyes met those of a man on the quatrain, his face half covered by a cap. The police badge in plain sight on the chest. She stepped back a step.  
"Are you OK?" he repeated, looking at her. "What's your name, do you know where you are?" he continued, noting her confused and lost expression.  
"I ..." she stammered. "I do not know"  
"What?" he did.

“i dont know... where am I.. _who am I?_ What am I doing here?” She looked around suddenly shocked by the emptiness of her memory. Then she suddenly looked at her hands. "Where is it...?"  
"Where's what ...?" he asked him, more and more worried.  
The girl panted in panic. "It ... disappeared ..." she whispered.  
"What has disappeared, honey?"

The girl stepped back "It's... _the end_ _..._ " she whispered.

The man looked at her for a moment, then put his hand to the radio. "Here Agent Raynolds, I found a girl in a confused state, I do not know what ..."  
At that moment, she turned and started running. "HEY!" the agent shouted at her, starting to run behind her. But at the first junction, she had already disappeared.

  
Lost, on the streets of New Orleans, like her memory.

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	16. Planning a war

The sunlight filtered through the window, illuminating Liam's face. The boy snorted, holding back a growl and plunging his face even further between the blankets and the hollow between Theo's shoulder and neck.  
At that moment Liam's phone rang once, then twice. "Liam" Theo called him. "I think we'll be late for the graduation ceremony"  
At those words Liam's eyes widened. "What time is it?!"  
"I have no idea, but from the way the sun is blinding me, I think it's late"  
Liam moaned as he stood up and rushed to the bathroom. "I will kill Scott," he shouted.  
Theo rolled his eyes while lying comfortably on Liam's bed. He grabbed the cell phone from the beside table and looked at the time. It was 9.30. It was an hour before the ceremony. It was three hours before the arrival of the famous Isaac's plane. And five hours were left to start the fateful pack meeting.  
After today everything would have changed for them. So Theo thought he could enjoy the last five minutes of peace in bed. At that moment Liam rushed into the room like a fury, already dressed and combed that Theo looked at him in disbelief.  
"What are you still doing in bed ?!" he exclaimed approaching.  
"Liam, calm down, there's still an hour left"  
"I will not be late on graduation day It's already a miracle that we graduated, the least we can do is being there on time.” Theo snorted, without moving. "Theo!"  
At that point Liam pulled him from a leg "Liam ..." Apparently not, he could not enjoy the last five minutes of peace, he thought, rolling down from the bed in a tangle of blankets, throwing a look of fire at the his boyfriend. Out of spite, he lay down on the ground. "I can sleep here too, you know"  
"Theo!"  
Theo looked at him for a moment, then snorted and held out his hand "Give me a hand"  
Liam did just in time to smile up at him and grab his hand to help him get up, that Theo tugged him down making him fall over him.  
"You're an asshole," Liam growled.  
Theo laughed. "Relax, this is the last day, the fateful calm before the storm, can we enjoy it at least?"  
Liam glanced at Theo's face, suddenly serious. "What do you think will happen tomorrow?"  
"I do not know," he replied simply "It's war, Liam, nobody can know what's going to happen"  
Liam was silent for a moment, lost in thought "I ... do not want to turn into something that I am not" then he said suddenly. Theo looked at him questioningly. "I do not know ... if I could kill the hunters, even if they attack me"  
"I know what you mean, but a time will come when, when you have to choose between our and their life, you will have to do it," he said sadly.  
"I would like to show them that we can be better than them, that here the only monsters are really them, that there is no reason to hate us ... that we do not need to make a war"  
Theo raised his hand to caress the boy's face, looking at him tenderly. "That's why I love you ... you never lose hope, do you?"  
Liam took a few seconds to get Theo's words, then opened his eyes wide. Theo also realized what he had said, and he felt his cheeks turn red, his mouth slightly open in a confused expression, looking for something to say.  
"You ..." Liam began, but at that moment they heard someone open the door below. Then some steps up the stairs. Liam and Theo turned to the waiting door, still lying on the ground on each other.  
"Liam!" Their bodies relaxed at the sound of Mason's voice. He appeared in the doorway with a hand over his eyes. "Please tell me that you are presentable"  
"Mason ..." Liam snorted.  
Mason lowered his hand and widened his eyes. "What the hell are you doin' on the floor ?!" Liam started to speak "No, I do not want to know!" he turned and raised a hand. "The ceremony starts in half an hour, I thought you wanted to skip it"  
"We? How could we ever miss the graduation ceremony?" exclaimed Theo sarcastically, getting up from the ground and beginning to look for something to wear. Liam followed him with his eyes as he went to the bathroom. "Wait for me downstairs, it takes me ten minutes" he asked before closing the door behind him.

  
 

*

"Where the hell are they ?!" exclaimed Nolan, nervously shaking, sitting between Lisa and Corey.  
"Mason went to check," he replied.  
"Did anyone hear them after yesterday's recovery mission?" Lisa whispered. They shook their heads. "Well"  
Alec's head popped up from behind them. "They'll probably be in their underwear again on some abandoned California road." At that moment someone gave him a slap on the head. Alec turned to face Theo's bitter frown. Behind him, Liam and Mason. "Great, they're dressed up," he added.  
Everyone laughed, while the others took their seats. "Alec, you can not stay here, you know?" Lisa whispered.  
"Okay, okay, I'm going to look for Scott and the others" And he left.  
"What happened yesterday?" Corey asked looking at Liam and Theo  
"Later," Theo replied with a frown.  
Nolan crossed his gaze "Nothing good," he said. "I have something to say to you too"  
Everyone looked at him, Lisa swallowed. "Nothing good," she repeated, looking towards the stage where the principal Martin had positioned to begin her speech. One by one, she called all the graduates. The June heat that made the robes stick to their bodies, while one by one they got up.  
"Why does it almost seem like the call to the gallows?" Theo asked at one point. No one answered. Everyone felt the same way at the time. It was not just the diploma for them. There was so much more.  
When the list was concluded, it was Mason's turn. He should have held the final speech as the best of the course. As Mason took his place, starting, Liam turned to look for the others. He saw them, some place behind them. Scott, Lydia, Malia, Kira. They were all here. Scott smiled at him. Liam answered the smile, then returned to look at his best friend.  
"It is from this moment on that we will find out who we are and who we will be," Mason was saying. "We will not go very far in life if we continue to rely on what we know now, we can only go on with what we will learn when we leave from here, but we will never forget what these years have brought us. Friends.. loves ... what we have known, what we have lost ... it will help us to be better, it has prepared us for what will come next. Treasure these years, because they will never come back, and fight for your future, every single day. " Mason remained silent for a moment, looking at his friends one by one. "It was nice to spend with all you ... the best years of my life."  
There was a roar of applause, while everyone stood up, Mason ran towards them. Liam hugged him, and Nolan, then Lisa and Theo joined the group hug. "I'll miss you," Mason whispered, stifled in his embrace.  
"It's not the end," Liam whispered, more to himself than to the others.

  
 

*

"All of us are here?" asked Corey, running his gaze over the presents.  
Scott, Malia and Lydia had occupied the sofa, while Kira was in the armchair. He, Mason, Nolan and Lisa were leaning against the wall. Theo and Liam on the steps of the stairs that led upstairs. Deaton was still, looking out the window. Alec was sitting on the ground, legs crossed.  
On the desk there were three laptops, connected by video call. The computers emitted a trill, and Deaton turned before reaching them. He pressed a button and the faces of Derek and Chris appeared on the first screen. He switched to the second, showing a few seconds later the faces of Jackson and Ethan. On the third, there was no need for Deaton to move to show his face, because they all heard him very well. "It works, is it connected, do you see me guys?"  
"Er, Stiles ... I think you covered the camera with your finger," Liam pointed out  
"Ah .. it's true sorry, hello!" he exclaimed when his face appeared on the screen, waving a hand  
"Well, now we're all here," Derek commented from the first screen, rolling his eyes  
"Wait, someone is missing," said Lydia.  
"We're all here" Scott said, with a smile, turning to the door. A tall boy appeared on the threshold, a scarf around his neck, dark sunglasses covering his eyes, a grin on his face. He put his left hand to his face to take off his glasses. "Happy to see you again, guys"  
"Isaac" Scott walked over to him and hugged him.  
"It's nice to see you again Scott," he said, patting him on the shoulder. "Hi, Lydia" He also hugged the banshee, before saying bye to Kira, and beckoning to Malia. Then he introduced himself to everyone else. "You must be Liam, Scott's beta, and you Theo, the psychopathic chimera who destroyed his pack"  
"Er, I think you stayed behind," Alec laughed.  
"Right, right," Stiles exclaimed. "Now it's Liam, the true alpha, and Theo, his boyfriend"  
Theo opened his eyes wide. "Is that the only thing you have to say about me?" He snorted.  
"It's the truth"  
"Years with the Dread Doctors doing experiments on chimeras, to kill people, months to dismantle your pack, months spent in hell, and then to save your ass ... and the only thing you have to say is that I'm Liam's boyfriend? "  
"Looks like you're sorry," Liam said ironically  
"Of course, he could at least mention my being cool"  
"Hey hey, the only cool one here it's me," Jackson said from the second screen.  
"We want to talk about your tail?" Stiles asked him.  
"Disgusting," Ethan said.  
"Um, guys ... can we talk about serious things?" Derek called them back, exchanging an exasperated glance with Argent. "Kind of hunters, serial killers and coming war ...?"  
Stiles snorted. "Liam's change of course was more interesting, by the way, Liam, you and I have really to ta- ..."  
"Stiles!" exclaimed Scott.  
"Okay, okay, war, hunters, serial killers." he repeated.  
"First of all, let's take stock of the situation, what do we know?" Scott said.  
"Hunters keep all the Nemetons under control, their bases are there, because the Nemetons act as beacon for supernatural creatures, the greatest concentration of creatures is around them," Chris said.  
"But ours is off now," Kira said.  
"Yes, but Monroe has concrete information about Beacon Hills, I would dare to say that her main goal is our city"  
"It all started from Beacon Hills," said Lydia "and Beacon Hills will end up"

Nolan held his breath at that sentence. _The end_ ... It was what Gabe's voice had said at the cemetery.  
"... So, we will allocate the packs to all the Nemetons.We should divide us," said Isaac. "My pack has already received orders, keeping the French hunter base under control for months"  
"The same goes for here in London," Jackson said. "There have been few movements recently, but we have never lost sight of them"  
"We will stay here in South America," Derek said.  
"Maybe we could send you reinforcements," Malia suggested, worried. "You do not have a pack on your side"  
"We have our aces " Derek replied.  
Scott looked at him for a moment, then understood. "Did you find Cora?" he asked him. Derek nodded.  
"And the Calavera can also be tough, the worst hunters in history, but they do not want a war either, and if they wanted to, they would not be on the Monroe side," Chris said.  
"So this is what it will be?" said Theo "A war of position? On multiple fronts?"  
"Yes, our purpose will be to neutralize their operational bases"  
“They'll wait for it, "Liam exclaimed." It's the most obvious move. They will certainly have something in mind "  
"We will not act blindly," Chris said. "A good military action requires preparations, and for preparations I mean spy actions"  
"We need infiltrators," Derek said. "And you will have to do it"  
Malia and Kira looked at each other. "The central base is that of Monroe, the one in the United States, it's you who drives everything, the other bases are just minor chits, the real clash will be between you and the Monroe's troops," Chris explained. "You have to find out what are Monroe's plans, so first of all we establish a team for this mission" Scott swallowed. "In this kind of mission, strength is relative, we need other qualities"  
"Okay," Scott said. "I think the most indicated are Corey, since it can make himself invisible ..." Corey nodded, shaking Mason's hand. "Lisa, for her powers of empathy, Nolan and Lydia, for their powers of Banshee, Kira, could be useful for her powers as a charmer, and she will also be a weapon in case of an attack, Mason and Stiles. they will remain safe, since they are human, but they could be useful, they are surely the most smart among us "  
"Good," Chris agreed. "They will be the team that will collect information and strategy"  
" Me, Malia, Isaac, Alec, Theo and Liam wil be in the forefront,," Scott continued.  
"Before that," Theo interrupted. "There are some things you need to know" Everyone turned to look at him. Theo got up so everyone could see him. "Yesterday Liam and I had a clash with the omega that we had to recover, but it was not a simple coyote, as Braeden had told us" His eyes swung on Derek "It was a chimera"

  
 

Everyone turned to look at him. "A chimera?" Scott asked, widening his eyes. Theo sought Deaton's support.  
"Yes" he said. "I looked at it this morning, it was a chimera, and much more complex than the ones you fought in the past"  
"What do you mean?" asked Malia.  
"The body presented the characteristics of a coyote, a wendigo and a kanima"  
"How is it possible?" Kira asked "The Doctors are dead!"  
"Apparently, someone is carrying out their research," Liam suggested.  
"It could be connected," Stiles suddenly blurted out. "The murders, the wolves were killed by other wolves, or maybe they were chimeras"  
"Do you say that Monroe wants to use the supernatural against us?" Nolan asked.  
"Ironic" commented Isaac.  
"Okay, so first we'll go to New Orleans, we need to know more," Scott said, looking at Malia and then Theo and Liam.  
"Not all of us," said Theo. "There's something else you need to know" At this point he turned to the laptop with Derek and Chris and came over. "A hunter attacked us last night, or rather, he attacked the omega, he had a bizarre tattoo on his arm, and declared that" they kill who kills "That's why he let me and Liam go"  
"I understand Liam, but why you too?" Stiles asked skeptically. Liam glared at him.  
But Theo ignored him. "I think he based on our eyes, neither one of them was blue, so he assumed we were ... clean"  
"Who do you think it was?" Chris and Derek looked at each other. Even Deaton took a few steps forward.  
"The Peacemakers " whispered.  
"Who?" Stiles asked, with a confused expression on his face.  
“They're an ancient order that has existed since the beginning of time, I thought they were just a legend"  
"It does not bode well," Chris said.  
"Why?"  
"You see, the legend says that the peacemakers only appear ..." Deaton glanced at the presents "... when the end is approching"  
Nolan held his breath. "The end ..." he repeated.  
"The end of what?"  
"Of everything"  
"Hey wait, it's a legend, is not it?, what does it mean 'when it comes to the end of everything'?" exclaimed Isaac. "Peacemakers then? Someone who kills? It makes no sense!"  
Scott looked at Theo "What do you have in mind?"  
"That hunter told us that Monroe is on his list, so in any case it's an ally"  
"Until he finds out you're a killer too," Stiles commented.  
"Stiles!" Liam growled.  
Theo ignored the comment this time too. "I want to look for them," he exclaimed.  
"Sure it's a good idea?" Lydia asked.  
"The more we are, better it is, moreover ... if what Deaton says is true, we need to know more," he replied.  
"Theo is right," Nolan exclaimed, panting. "Yesterday ... I had a ... I do not even know how to call it!"  
"What do you mean, Nolan?" Lydia asked him.  
"A voice ..." He preferred not to say that it was Gabe's "He told me to run. Because it was coming ... "  
"Coming what?"  
"The end, that's what it said"  
Those present looked at each other. "Okay, maybe it's best to look for these peacemakers," Stiles commented. "And hope they are ... peaceful"  
"Liam and I will go," suggested Theo. "Scott can not leave the front, he's too important, and he will certainly need all the help he can get"

"In addition we will be less traceable in two, rather than moving in groups," added Liam.  
"And of course ..." Theo said "... I'm not going anywhere without Liam"  
"Idem"  
"Well, I would say we have our strategy," Scott said. "Tomorrow Theo and Liam will leave to look for these peacemakers and, I, Isaac and Malia will go to New Orleans"  
"And I?" Alec asked, disappointed  
"You will stay in Beacon Hills with Kira, we need someone to stay on guard, the others have free field for how to handle the espionage operation"  
"Good" all repeated in chorus.  
Scott took a deep breath, "Guys, I do not know what's going to happen from now on, and tell you I'm not afraid it would be a lie, but I know I will not back down, We'll fight really hard until the end. I trust in every single person who is in this room, and if tomorrow we divide, I know it will not be a goodbye, we will see each other again, because we will win this war, Nobody will stop us until we are united. As long as we are together. Until we wont lose hope "  
"Hope ..." Lydia repeated. "Yeah ..."

  
 

*

"Hey, Theo," said Mason, answering the phone.  
"Mason, let's meet at the entrance to the tunnels, there's something we need to check"  
"Why did you call me?"  
"You're the one in the spy kids team, and you know where the tunnel enter is, move" And he attacked.  
"I do not believe he just called us spy kids," he mumbled, but hurried to obey.

  
 

*

"Lydia, are you okay?" Malia said. She already knew that something was going to happen every time Lydia sat in front of the canvas. "Did you feel something?"  
Lydia looked at her. "Be quiet, so I can find out." She took the brush, inspired and closed her eyes. Malia stood looking at her. "You 're distracting me"  
Malia snorted. And she got up and then jumped on the couch. "Is it better?"  
"Better"  
Lydia slowly slid the brush onto the white canvas and began to work. It took a couple of minutes for the girl to drop the brush, jumping up and drawing heavily as if she had been holding her breath for so long.  
Malia snapped and in a moment was next to her. "What's this?"  
Lydia touched the drawing. It looked like a tribal symbol of spherical shape made of lines that intersected each other.  
"There's something written here," Malia noted. It was true, some of the lines had been replaced by a thick inscription.  
"Are these numbers?" Lydia asked  
"Hey you're the banshee," the coyote reminded her. Lydia got closer to read better "21061840718280718190918130918220918" and went on like this. "What do they mean?" Malia asked, confused.  
"It's what we need to find out"  
"Lydia looks, the signature" Malia exclaimed, looking at the bottom of the canvas "You did not write your name"  
Lydia widened her eyes. In her handwriting she had signed with another name. _Maya, NO_  
"Who is Maya?" exclaimed Malia.  
"I have no idea, but I know what it means NO"  
"What?"  
Lydia looked at her "New Orleans"

 

*

"You want to explain what we're doing here?" Mason exclaimed as he followed Theo through the dark corridors.  
"Shut up and follow me" Theo continued to proceed for a few more minutes.  
"I hate this place," Mason commented. He remembered very well his meeting with the Doctors and the Beast and the Anuk-ite like it was yesterday. "Wait! Are we ...?"  
Theo looked at him only a moment before stopping in front of a snake carved into the wall that bite its tail. Theo opened the door to the Doctor's laboratory.  
“I do not believe you dragged me down here, "he whimpered.  
"Come on, it's just an empty laboratory now." He entered and headed for the table overflowing with sheets and notes.  
Mason stopped with his eyes fixed on the operating table. "Mason" Theo called him back to reality. He knew how he felt. “It's okay, nothing's here”  
Mason breathed, and joined him next to the table. "What are you looking for?"  
"The doctors had a book with all their research: every discovery, every sketch for future experiments, everything"  
"And where is it?"  
Theo looked at him "As I thought, it's gone"  
Mason held his breath. " Monroe could not have arrived here, she did not know anything about this"  
"She dont' but someone else does," Theo said  
"Oh no ... _Gerard_ ," Mason sighed.  
"Even when he's dead, he's giving us problems," commented Theo, throwing the sheets to the ground in a gesture of annoyance.  
"It's a problem, is not it?" said Mason.  
"It is a mess"

  
 

*

"Hi, how can I help you?" the woman in a black jacket behind the desk said him, with a quick look at him  
"I'm here for orientation" She looked at him again and then took a paper.  
"Well, name and surname?"  
"Ian Harrington"  
"Born in..?"  
"New York, October 4, 1999," he replied mechanically.  
The woman filled out his card and handed it to him. Then he took his folder from the pile. "Did you have a transplant?" she asked him, scrolling and noting his medical record.  
"No, I gave a kidney a few years ago ... to my brother," he replied stiffly, grabbing the card and slipping it into his pocket.  
"A nice gesture" she gave him with a smile.  
"A _useless_ gesture," he replied. She looked at him confused. "My brother is dead," he replied, before leaving with a wave.  
Ian pulled out the card. He had to look for his accompanist. _Mieczyslaw Stilinski._  
"Something" _Stilinski_... .why that name was not entirely new to him?

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED._


	17. New Orleans

"Are we sure it's safe?" Malia asked with a doubtful look through the window.

"More than sure you've done less safe things in your life," Isaac replied, looking at her through the dark lenses of the sunglasses, sprawled on a chair as if he were in the living room of his house.

"No because I could even walk, a jog to New Orleans"

"Well, go, see you there in a week, maybe in the meantime the war will be over" the wolf suggested with a shrug. Malia gave him a slight growl.

Scott intervened immediately with difficulty laughter. He put a hand on the shoulder of his girlfriend making her turn towards him. "It's safe, and no, you will not go running to New Orleans." Malia gave him a pleading look. "I swear to you that the plane will not crash," he continued reassuringly. Malia snorted, turning back to the window and watching a plane land at that moment.

"Unless we are hit by a disturbance, a lightning strike or a missile," Isaac suggested seriously.

"What?" Malia snapped. Scott glared at Isaac and he instantly fell silent.

"Malia, it's not raining, there's no lightning, and ... I can not even imagine why someone should launch a missile on a plane to New Orleans, so it's okay"

Malia first looked at Scott then out again, as if deciding whether to escape or not. "Okay" she snapped at the end "But on the way back we take the bus"

"The hell I will take the bus," Isaac protested. "I will not be a whole day immersed in the fetid odors of human beings because you know how to deal with psychopathic hunters and supernatural beasts of other worlds, but not with a plane trip!"

"In a battle the ground is a meter and a half from my nose" Malia pointed out to him. This time it was Isaac's turn to keep a growl.

"Okay okay enough! Malia, I swear to you that if something of the outward journey will disturb you, we will return by bus" Isaac snorted, Malia nodded satisfied looking at the beta as if to say "I won". "Now can we embark? The plane leaves in half an hour, "Scott remarked, pointing to the departure sign.

  
 

*

When Liam woke up that morning, he could sense the absence of Theo beside him without even turning around to check. But he held out his hand to his right to be sure, and when he felt the cold side of the bed, he sat up.

_Where the hell did he go_ , Liam looked at his watch , _at 6:30 am ?!_ Liam tried to keep together and remembered coming home alone last night. "I have something to do," Theo told him, coming out of Derek's loft. And once at home he had fallen asleep before the boy came home. _Was he at least back?_ Liam could only wonder about.

He jumped off the bed and picked up the phone. No messages, no calls. Liam began to worry. It was when he hurried out of his room to the stairs downstairs that he could smell Theo and hear his shuffling steps on the floor. Liam came down slowly and leaned on the door of the living room. At the sound of his footsteps, Theo turned to him, just for a moment, murmuring a good morning.

"Where have you been?" Liam said. Theo assumed a confused expression.

"Here?"

"Theo" sighed Liam "You can cheat the others, but I understand when you lie"

Theo raised an eyebrow as if to say "Really? Prove it”

"You were not home tonight and you did not even sleep," Liam snapped, nodding toward his face, pointing to the eye-catching dark circles that Theo had under his eyes.

Theo renounced to lie "I took a ride"

"A ride?"

"By car"

"Have you been in the pick-up all night?" Liam asked, his lips tight. He did not know why, but that caused him a painful stomach grip. Perhaps because Theo had lived in the pick-up, before changing, before being their friend, to be in their pack, before falling in love with Liam.

"I had ... I just wanted to ... think," Theo muttered, turning his back to him, and pouring milk into the cereal bowl he had already prepared on the table.

Liam breathed in "Theo ..." he began. "If that's about what you have ... said yesterday ..." Theo stiffened abruptly, and turned to him, with breakfast in hand. "I do not want to talk about it," he said only, hurrying out of the living room.

Liam sighed, following him with his eyes as he closed himself in his room.

  
 

*

Stiles was lying on the bed, pulling a baseball against the ceiling and catching it on the fly. All his companions had already left the day before, and it's not like he had much to do.

So, lying on the bed, the ball in hand, thought back to the meeting the day before.

He knew that at that moment Scott, Malia and Isaac were headed to New Orleans, probably they were on a plane just as he stood there motionless and absorbed in his thoughts. He had no idea what they would find there. Someone killed werewolves. Someone who was probably a chimera. That someone else in turn was creating in the wake of the researches of the Dread Doctors. Lydia had sent him a message that night, informing him that Mason and Theo had discovered that the research had disappeared from the lab. Only Gerard, besides them, knew the location of the laboratory, but Gerard was dead. Had he had time to give them at Monroe? And what did Monroe do with chimeras? If she wanted to free the world from the supernatural, creating others, it would only make the situation worse. That was what Stiles wondered. That Monroe had other programs? That there was another use that could make of chimeras?

His thoughts were interrupted when, absorbed as he was, the last throw of the ball escaped his grip, hitting him right on the nose. With a yelp, he rolled on the floor, dragging the blankets of his bed with him. He could not help but sigh.

At that moment, someone inserted the key into the lock, causing the door to open slowly. A boy more or less his age, with dark hair and a face half-hidden by a cap, the shoulder bag on his right shoulder, appeared in the doorway, and looked at him doubtfully, still on the ground in a tangle of blankets . "Are you Stilinski?"

"Ah-ah" Stiles nodded "And you have to be Ian, nice to meet you, I'd shake your hand, but as you see, I'm … a little busy right now"

"Do you want me to come back later?" he suggested, pointing with his finger behind him, as if to say he could leave.

"Seriously, help me out of here!"

  
 

*

It was raining heavily as the plane landed in New Orleans two hours later. Malia stared straight ahead, and Scott swore he'd felt her claws sticking in the seat in front of her. He hoped she had not done visible damage.

Isaac seemed satisfied. As they came out of the metal detector, he approached the coyote "So, this flight?"

"Shut up," she growled, "I'd rather get myself shot with the yellow wolfbane" Isaac laughed, and Scott also joined him this time. "At one point I thought he would have cut the seat in front of her," he said.

Malia looked at him upset "There is nothing to laugh about, who invented these infernal contraptions?"

The sound of the rain covered their laughter. "At least a thunderbolt did not hit it," Scott commented.

"Do not say it twice," Malia growled. They found shelter in a cafeteria where they ate a quick dinner. "So, what's the plan?" asked Malia.

Scott pulled out his cell phone, opened a picture and turned it so they could see "Stiles sent us pictures of victims' tattoos" Isaac and Malia leaned over to look better. The tutorage represented a half moon. "I sent them to Chris and Derek yesterday, and they told me they belong to a certain Miguel's pack, he's the only one here in New Orleans"

"Do you want to go talk?" Scott nodded "Yes, if it's someone who haunts werewolves, it will head against them tonight too" "So, is this what we do?" Isaac said looking at them. "Being the baits?"

  
 

*

Liam stayed a good ten minutes staring at the door of their room to decide whether to enter or not. He did not understand what was going on with Theo. It was all afternoon that he was locked in there. Yesterday morning, it is true, he had fired that bomb. Did he regret it? Was he embarrassed? Was he disappointed because Liam had not responded? But it had seemed to him that everything was okay in the loft, but then Stiles had thrown that casual joke there. Did it depend on that? Did Theo bother to be considered only his boyfriend? Liam knew that Theo was a proud, and even rather arrogant guy, to be honest. But at that moment he could not understand what was going on in his mind. It was the first time he could not read in his mate's mind. And this made him nervous.

"Are you still going to be out there for a long time?" Theo's voice came through the door. Liam winced as he felt himself blush. But he decided to grin and bear it, and entered, as if nothing had happened. Theo was sitting at the end of the bed, with a handful of papers in his hand. He looked at him for a moment, before looking away. Then he slammed into the closet, pulling out a duffel bag and starting to fill it with clothes. "What are you doing?" Theo asked him.

"Do I pack, or have you forgotten that we have to leave, or have you changed your mind, and now you prefer to go with someone else to look for these ... Pacifists ?!" It was not good, Liam felt he was getting angry "They are called Peacemakers," Theo corrected him, looking up from his papers. "And I have not changed my mind, we can even leave now" he said quietly.

"Well let's go!" Liam exclaimed.

"Ah yes, and tell me, to go in what direction?"

"Well ... of course ... to-" Liam stopped. He started to say something, but then he closed his mouth and looked at Theo "Where do we have to go?"

Theo burst out laughing "It's what I'm trying to understand" he said, pointing to the sheets. Liam approached hesitantly, and then took a seat next to Theo. He kept his distance, and this did not escape Theo, who looked at him for a few seconds, his expression indecipherable as usual, before returning to his notes.

"What's this stuff?"

"I remembered hearing about these Peacemakers ... from ... from the Doctors, of course, they were on their list"

"Obviously," Liam commented.

"The Doctors did not like to be taken by surprise, so they were prepared for any eventuality, so we often moved, so we hid in the sewers," the boy said. "So you think the Doctors ran away from the Peacekeepers?" Theo nodded. "Look" Theo showed a map, which represented North America. "See, when I was younger, I marked every city we moved to"

Liam took the paper "Did you make this?" Theo nodded, looking at the map filled with red crosses. "We've been everywhere in the United States and Mexico, we've been in South America for a while, they did not care about packs or hunters, they did not scare them, but ... for some reason, we never crossed the northern borders"

"Do you mean of Canada?" Theo nodded again "But Theo, Canada is almost as large as all the United States!" Liam pointed out to him.

"I know, that's the problem," he commented, dejected. "I was hoping to find something else in their notes"

"Maybe we could look in their lab?" Liam suggested, trying to be useful.

Theo suddenly seemed uncomfortable. "Already done, last night"

Liam raised his eyebrows. "Have you been there alone?"

"No, I ... I went with Mason"

Liam raised his eyebrows even more, if possible. "Did you ask Mason to go with you?" _Instead of me_ , he wanted to add. But he did not want to look as desperate as he already must have looked. What 's going on with himself? Did he seriously want to make a scene of jealousy to his boyfriend for his best friend? But rather ... what the hell was is going on with Theo? At that point Liam could say he did not understand anything anymore.

He jumped up and crossed the room. "Where are you going?" Theo shouted behind him.  
"To the loft," Liam said only, before leaving.

*

Isaac proceeded slowly. The road was deserted. The sticky air. The buildings stretched in height and length along both sides. He did not like that plan at all. Why then had to make him a bait? Malia had been willing to admit that she preferred to be hit with yellow wolfbane rather than fly, she could have be the bait, right? He snorted, pricking his ears to catch every sudden movement. "Isaac, is everything ok there?" Scott's voice sounded in the transceiver in his ear.

"Everything's ok" he whispered in response "How's it going on there?"

"Malia is challenging Miguel to arm wrestling"

Isaac assumed an angry expression. "I risk my life here, and you guys are _playing_?" then he blurted out in a whisper. At that moment there was a big thud and a furious growl "What happened?" he exclaimed again.

"Miguel lost"

"Then?"

"So now he will accompany us to the site of previous attacks"

"Wow your war strategy leaves me stunned," Isaac commented.

"I think we spent too much time with Stiles," Scott mumbled disconsolately.

At that moment there was a howl in the distance. Isaac cocked his ears again. "Scott, see you later, send me the position when you get there!" he exclaimed before closing the conversation and following the source of the noise.

Scott hung up with a worried sigh. Then he turned to the alpha that came toward him. "I like your girlfriend," Miguel commented when he faced him. Miguel was a man in his thirties, dark-skinned and well-placed. Scott looked at him from below pausing on the left hand that was massaging his right one, the one that Malia must have just crushed. "Yes, she 's thriving " "So, would you walk us to this damn place or not ?!" Malia screamed from the outside.

Miguel gave Scott a look of understanding. "Tell me when you break up," he said, leaving the abandoned building that was the den of what was left of the pack.

Scott could not help but follow him with an amused expression on his face.

  
 

*

Isaac felt the smell of blood and fear from several feet away. And he saw the creature, the white eyes shining in the dark night, turning in his direction, before it even decided a plan of attack. So he winged it. He extracted fangs and claws, his eyes gleamed golden, and hurled himself against what looked like a wendigo. When he was one step away from the beast, it turned around, striking Isaac with its tail and flying him into a bucket of garbage.

"I hate kanima," he muttered to himself before getting up again.

"Watch out!" a female voice shouted in the dark, a few steps behind the chimera. Isaac remained for a moment pietrified, had not felt the presence of anyone else besides them.

But he had to recover quickly when the chimera pointed in his direction. Isaac dodged it, then grabbed it by the neck, crushing it between him and the wall. He inserted his claws into a precise point on his back, where he knew that he could damage its spine for a few minutes, preventing it from moving. The chimera writhed in pain and Isaac released his grip, punching it on the face, making it fall to the ground.

The wolf breathed a sigh of relief, and turned to look for the source of the voice that had previously helped him. He felt the almost imperceptible movement of the chimera delayed slowly up behind him, but when he turned to face it again, someone preceded him, spreading it with a firm blow to the head.

Isaac stared in amazement at the girl standing before him, gasping, her hand clasped around a steel bar. "Who are you?" he asked, eyes wide open.

She looked at him. "I do not have the slightest idea," she said, throwing away her improvised weapon. "But for some reason I know who you are"

  
 

*

Scott scanned the deserted alleyway. "They attacked them outside the pub," Miguel said, pointing to a shabby place a few meters from the entrance to the alley. "They had no escape. That creature was supposed to be a kanima, there were traces of the paralyzing poison on their bodies "  
"It was not a kanima, or at least not completely," Malia explained.  
"It's a long story," Scott added.  
Miguel looked at them confused. "They must have been at least three, or at least three were the smells I catched when I got here"  
"Three creatures ..." Malia looked at Scott "... or three different DNAs?"  
At that moment, Scott's cell phone rang. "Isaac," he answered immediately. Malia became attentive. "What-? are you okay?"  
Malia could hear Isaac's excited voice on the phone.  
_Yes, indeed, I think I found the famous Maya_ finally said.  
Scott looked up to meet the stunned Malia and the confused Miguel.

  
 

*

When Liam entered the loft, after being a bit through the woods, it was already late evening, and the only ones present were Lydia and Mason. "Hey guys" greeted them. "Where is everybody?"

"They went home to rest," said Lydia, sitting in front of a canvas. Mason was on the couch, holding a laptop.

Liam took a seat next to him. "What's this stuff?" he asked, looking at the screen.

"We're trying to figure out what Lydia has drawed," he said simply.

Lydia grabbed the canvas and approached them, showing the drawing also to Liam. "What is it? a symbol?"

"I have no idea, I did not find anything on the internet," said Mason disconsolately.

"I'm more curious about these numbers," said Lydia. Liam followed the banshee's finger that traced the lines of numbers that occupied much of the design.

"Do you believe it can be a code?" Liam suggested. Mason did not seem convinced.

"Look, there's a number that often repeats" Liam looked closely at the drawing "The 18," he exclaimed. "As our age" he enjoyed.

"Speak for yourself," Lydia sarcastic said. "Age ..." repeated Mason. "Or year, _this_ year" "2018?" Lydia whispered, looking back at the numbers. "Maybe they are date!"

"210618 ..." read Mason. "it would be June 21st"

"It would be in 4 days," Liam noted.

"40718 ... 180718 ... It's July 4th and 18th," Lydia continued.

"What do they indicate?" Liam asked, holding his breath.

Lydia shook her head "Nothing good certainly"

At that moment they all turned to the sound of the door opening and closing when Theo entered the hall. He looked around, crossing Liam's look with an exasperated expression. Then he sighed. "Hey Theo" Mason greeted him.

"What are you doing?" he said approaching. Liam ignored him.

"We try to understand what goes on in my head," Lydia said.

"We're in two," Theo muttered. Liam gave him a sideways glance. Mason looked between his best friend and his boyfriend, trying to figure out what that strange tense atmosphere was.

"Hey" Theo looked up at the drawing. "But this..." Lydia and Mason looked at him hopefully.

"Do you know what is it?" Liam asked suddenly.

"You know too, you idiot," he mumbled. "It's the tattoo!" Liam looked at him confused. "The tattoo that that hunter had!" Theo exclaimed.

"The peacemaker?" Mason asked.

Lydia returned to look at the drawing. "So this indicates the peacemakers, and these dates ?!"

"Apparently we have one more reason to look for these damned peacemakers," Liam mumbled. "The problem is that we do not know where to start"

"Maybe we do not know, but this Maya knows," Lydia exclaimed, pointing at the name at the back of the canvas.

Theo snorted "And where is this Maya?" he ironically asked.

At that moment Lydia's phone rang. The banshee bent down to read the message. She looked up at the three boys

"Apparently she's coming here"

  
 

TO BE CONTINUED.


	18. Bet for the future

As he sat in the waiting room of the airport, Isaac wondered what the hell was going on. Lydia had told them about the symbol and dates, that girl, Maya, claimed not to remember who she was, but to know who they were, there were the peacemakers and there was this imminent end announced by a voice in Nolan's head and from an old legend that probably only Deaton remembered. In addition there were hunters, there were chimeras, and there was war. And he could not help wondering if things were connected or not.

Isaac heard the girl sigh beside him and turned to look at her. She was trembling despite the high temperatures. Isaac thought only a moment before taking off his ever-present scarf and placing it on her shoulders. She turned to look at him in surprise, before muttering a barely mentioned thank you. She clenched her fist around the scarf, as if to sink into it. It was then that Isaac's gaze fell on her wrist, where she seemed to have a tattoo. A number? He could not see it well.

At that moment, Scott and Malia returned, Scott had a glass of steaming tea in his hand that he handed to Maya. She grabbed it as if she had not seen something to drink for days, murmuring another confused thank you. "Did you find a flight?" Isaac inquired. Scott nodded, Malia uttered a cry of complaint, which meant yes.

"In two hours, it's amazing what you can do if you have the money," he chuckled.

"We should thank Peter for this," Isaac agreed.

"I still do not believe he left us access to his money"

"Well, it's not like he'll need it anyway if we'll be all taken out," Isaac noted in his usual sarcastic tone. "Your hope for the future always moves me," Malia snapped.

At these words, Maya let the tea slip to the floor, the contents spilled onto the ground as she snapped to avoid contact with the boiling liquid. The other three turned to her alarmed.

"Are you alright?" Scott whispered softly, looking into her eyes. She nodded, shivering. "Yes, it's just that ..."

"Did you remember something?" Isaac asked. She shook her head violently. "I do not know..."

Malia snorted. "Do you think you can try to read her mind?" she asked, looking at Scott. He shook his head. "She is too weak, she is a human being, she would not survive under these conditions"

Isaac looked first at Scott then Maya, put a hand on her shoulder and made her sit, a few chairs further on, away from the pool of tea. Then he knelt before her. "Before you said you did not know who you are, but to know who I am," Isaac reminded her. "Remember?"

She nodded. "I know who all you are"

Malia and Scott looked at each other. "Are you also referring to us?"

She looked up at them "I know all of you, I saw you"

"Where? Where have you seen us?" exclaimed Isaac.

"In a dream, I dream of you, every single night since I remember"

_*_

Liam was beginning to no longer tolerate that situation. They were in the car, on their way home. Sitting in the passenger seat in Theo's pickup, staring out the window, watching the torrentially pouring rain, tapping his right leg nervously, listening to the tense silence, felt he was about to explode.

Probably Theo could feel his nervousness because he sometimes heard him sigh. But not even once, the boy turned to meet his gaze. Not even once did he try to speak, to explain the reason for all that tension. The idea that Theo felt in that way about his feelings made him sick. At the umpteenth sigh of the boy, Liam could no longer hold back.

"Okay enough," he snapped in a growl. "Damn it, Theo, look at me!"

"I'm driving, how can I look at you?" His indifferent tone made him angry even more. "Then stop!" he shouted. He did not expect Theo to actually do it, instead he nailed a bang in the middle of the road, sending Liam forward, who slammed his head against the windshield. "I did not mean this!" the boy protested, rubbing his head. "Are you crazy?"

"Liam" Theo growled at him against. Liam's eyes widened. "And do not growl at me," he said. "Tell me what the hell is wrong with you ?!" When Theo remained silent, his gaze fixed in front of him, Liam snorted. Then he leaned forward to remove the car keys. Theo looked at him as if he were mad. "We will not move from here until you give me a valid answer," Liam said, holding the keys in his tight fist. "Good," said Theo. Liam thought he had finally won. Then Theo opened the door. "I'll walk." He came down. "THEO" Liam shouted before following him "It's raining heavily, come back inside!" he shouted after him, following him with his eyes as he crossed the road to the woods. Theo did not even look back at him.

Liam stuck in a growl, anger was slowly giving way to despair. He felt tears prick on the sides of his eyes. "DAMN!" he shouted after him. "I LOVE YOU TOO, THEO!"  
Finally, he managed to stop Theo. "I do not care if you regretted having said it, if you have changed your mind ... or if the only idea of having done prevents you from even looking at me! I do not care, because I love you .... and I will not apologize for this- "

  
Liam felt Theo's movement, he saw him shoot at him, and for a moment he thought he wanted to punch him. Instead he grabbed his face to pull it toward him and pressed his lips against his, the rain that flowed on them, in a wet and salty kiss.

  
"Theo," Liam murmured  
"I'm sorry," Theo interrupted  
"Theo, dont-" Liam started to speak but Theo continued, he had to say it once and for all.

"I ... I am a horrible person, I keep telling me... that I do not deserve an incredible person like you ... and I am afraid every single day that you can realize it ... I keep telling me... I do not deserve to be so happy .. every second I am terrified that everything can end in an instant ... and I try not to do anything that can make you escape from me ... but sometimes I can not stop myself ... more I repeat that I do not have to force feelings on you, more these are beyond my control ... I can not control them ... and I do not know what to do, I have never lost control ... the control is the only thing that I do well... but when it comes to you, I ... I can't ... "Theo spat out. "I thought it would be easier if I kept the distance .... that would have hurt less ... when I would have lost you ... But I can not ... Stiles is right, I'm nothing without you, and this ... this scares me ... " Liam set his forehead against Theo's, the hearts beating at the same rate, their synchronized breaths. "Theo, you will not lose me, I want to be with you, I've chosen you, you're my anchor, you're my mate ... you're my family, I _will die_ for you"

Theo breathed deeply. "This is what terrifies me the most," he whispered.

"Remember what we promised? no regrets," Liam reminded him. "Whatever happens, we will face it together, we will live it together ... or we will die together"  
Theo finally met his green eyes in Liam's blue ones . "I love you, Liam, you can not imagine how much ..." he whispered at last.  
Liam smiled "I know ... it's as much as I love you too"  
Theo hid his head in the hollow between Liam's shoulder and neck, squeezing it with both arms, in a hug that hid more words than had been said, to which Liam responded with equal firmness, while the rain slid over their bodies, as if to permanently wash away every fear, every hesitation.

_*_

That morning, they had arranged to meet at the loft for 2pm, now that roughly Scott, Malia and Isaac, along with this Maya, should have come from the airport. When Theo and Liam entered, they found Lydia, Mason, Corey, Alec, Lisa, Kira, and Nolan bent over a map of Beacon Hills. "According to Peter reports, hunters should have built their base in the basement," Alec was saying

"Those tunnels are like a maze," Kira snorted.

"I confirm," Liam said, remembering when he had lost himself downstairs while trying to get Scott to forgive him by finding the Doctor's lab.

"Well, I think the best thing is to start by scouring the area, we have to find their base, otherwise we can not proceed with the plan," Lisa said.

"Let's start right away, I can not stand to sit here doing nothing," Nolan snapped.

"Are you sure you're ready?" Lydia asked him. In recent weeks, Lydia had tried to teach Nolan to use his powers, especially to use his voice as a weapon. In reality, Nolan proved to be a valid student, and he had learned quickly.

Nolan nodded. "I have a score to settle with Monroe," he said, picking up the crossbow from the ground and fixing it on his shoulders.

"How do we divide each other?" Kira asked.

"Kira, you go with Mason, Nolan, you with Corey, Alec, with Lisa," said Lydia. "I, Liam and Theo will wait for the others to come back... For anything, let's keep in touch with radio" Everyone nodded, before splitting up.

Liam was a bit annoyed by having to stay closed there, but since they still had no news about the peacemakers, he and Theo could not start their mission. At that moment, the computer on the desk emits a trill. Lydia jumped up to answer the video call. In a moment the face of Chris appeared on the screen. "Guys" greeted them weakly. "How's it going over there?"

Lydia sighed, "We're stalled, apparently these peacemakers are more important than we thought." And she told him about the drawing, the dates and Maya.

"Theo thinks the peacekeepers can be allocated in Canada," Liam suggested as he approached the laptop.

Chris seemed to think about it. "It could be, but hell, Canada is not the home garden"

There was a moment of silence. "How are you?" Lydia inquired, noting the man's tense look. "Not very well, Calavera are hard to handle"

"I remember well," confirmed Lydia.

"They give their support to Scott, they have already had the opportunity to test him" Lydia remembered well what they meant to test. "You'll understand that testing Peter and Derek is a bit more difficult," Chris said, and she noticed a hint of irony in his voice. "Above all, Peter, I guess" said Liam.

"I heard threats from him that I did not even think existed," Chris said. The other three mentioned a laugh.

"Well, now I'm going back to check the situation. Tell me when Scott comes back, "he concluded. He waved, before closing the call. Lydia closed the laptop slowly.

It was difficult to describe the situation of waiting, anxiety and fear in which they were living. At that moment they heard the sound of a car and the slamming of the doors, then hurried steps.

Theo got up from the sofa, when Scott came in, followed by Malia, Isaac, and a dark-haired girl, who was no more than twenty. She was wrapped in what seemed to be Isaac's scarf, and her expression was so confused that for a moment Theo felt sorry for her.

"Guys" Lydia approached them "She's Maya" Scott whispered.

Lydia approached her, Maya looked at the three. "I am ..." the Banshee began

"I know who you are," she whispered in response. He stopped looking at Theo and Liam, who looked alarmed. "I have a message for you," she said.

*

When that afternoon Stiles entered the room, he discovered that Ian was not there. Great, he was wasting his time on someone who did not even deign to wait for him. Stiles snorted, grabbing the phone to check the messages. Lydia had written to him that he would update it that evening. He pulled the phone onto the bed, then looked around the room. Ian should not have gone far, since he had left his bag there on the ground. Stiles hesitated a moment. Hunting the supernatural for all those years had made him suspicious of all, felt the need to keep everyone under control right now, even if he realized he was wrong. But he could not help it, and he could not help but pray that Ian did not come back right now that his hands were shamelessly shoved into his bag.

There was nothing but a book and a laptop. He pulled out the computer but found that it was password protected. _Obviously_. He put it back in his place and took out three books. The first was the FBI manual that they gave at the entrance. Stiles slid him to the ground. The second was a small photo album. He hesitated only a second before opening it. It was a family album. A man, a woman, two children. One must have been Ian. The other must have been his brother. The photos were suddenly interrupted. The last one depicted Ian and his brother, one with the arm on the shoulders of the other. They were supposed to be sixteen, Ian at least. His brother may have been one year younger. Stiles closed the album and slid it over the manual.

Suddenly his attention was all for the last book. Stiles's eyes widened, reading the finely embroidered title on the leather cover. _Bestiary._

Stiles heard footsteps approaching, quickly put the books in his bag and put it back as it was, then threw himself on the bed, pretending to tinker with his cell phone. That's how Ian found him when he entered. "Hey" greeted him "Are you ready for the ride?" he asked, looking at him as he lowered his cell phone.

"Oh ... ah, yes, man, when you want," Stiles answered sitting down. Ian only glanced at him before leading him out of the room.

Stiles stood there wondering what he had done wrong in his life so as not to have a break from the supernatural that lasted more than a few days.

*

"Do you have ... a message for us?" Liam stammered. The look of Scott, Malia, Isaac and Lydia oscillated between the girl and the two.

"A message from whom?" Theo asked.

"I do not know," she replied. Liam and Theo exchanged a confused look.

"Has anyone talked to you in a dream?" Isaac asked her.

She nodded. "Every night, I saw this scene," she explained.

"Well, what's the message?" Liam asked impatiently.

"What you are looking for is to the north, in the Rocky Mountains, a river bringing peace"

"A river?" Malia repeated.

"Are the Paecemakers there?" Isaac asked.

"I do not know what you're talking about," Maya whispered.

"You must know, if someone left you this message-" began Malia, but Isaac interrupted her. Maya had begun to tremble again. "It's useless to insist," Scott said. "Isaac, take her in a room, she has to rest a little," Isaac obeyed.

Theo turned his back to the group approaching the table. He opened the map with the cities in which the Doctors had moved. Liam, Lydia, Scott and Malia got around him. "This is the only point in the Rocky Mountains that the Doctors kept away from," he pointed to the Alberta area in Canada. "It still remains an extended area," Lydia mused

"Better than nothing."

"Waiting does not make sense, maybe God knows, the road will open before us as we go, "said Theo sarcastically.

"I did not make you so poetic," Malia teased him.

"He would surprise you," Liam said, pecking a fist on Theo's shoulder. Scott laughed and looked at the two. "Well, at this point we must also separate" Liam nodded, his gaze stuck in the alpha.

"What will you do?" Theo asked slowly, folding the map and slipping it into his pocket. Scott looked at Malia "We will go back to New Orleans, we need to find out more about these chimeras, and the only way is to capture one" Malia nodded.

"We will stay here to monitor the hunter situation, and find out more about this Maya," Lydia said, looking at where she and Isaac had disappeared.

"Do you think it could be a Banshee?" Malia asked her.

"No, She's not a banshee, She's something else," Lydia said in a whisper. She looked at the drawing on the easel "I think this time we ended up in something much bigger than us"

  
 

*

Isaac helped Maya to relax, he freed her from her scarf and helped her slip under the covers. "Rest" he whispered, looking at her for a moment before moving a step towards the exit. She held out her right arm and grabbed a piece of the t-shirt "Thank you ..." she whispered "... for everything" He looked at her. Her eyes slipped on her hand.

Isaac still noticed the tattoo. It was a number. A 75. He took her hand to look at it better "What does it represent?" he asked.

She followed his gaze. "I do not know" she simply replied "I do not remember anything, not even my name"

"Is your name Maya?"

"I'm not ... not sure," she said, still looking at the tattoo.

"Everything okay?"

"Yes, it's just that ..." She touched the number with the other hand "..I have the feeling that a few days ago it was not a 75" Isaac looked at her confused. Maya crossed his gaze "Sorry, maybe I'm just tired"

Isaac left her wrist. "Rest, see you tomorrow" She nodded, before closing her eyes, as Isaac left the room even more confused. Because even to him yesterday that number had not seemed a 75.

  
 

*

"Are you ready?" Theo said to Liam, loading the pick-up with as many supplies as possible. Liam nodded, passing the last bag.  
"Well, it will be fun," he commented, looking at Theo.  
"What's fun on a journey into the unknown?" he asked, amused, getting into the car and starting the engine.  
Liam smiled, hooking his seat belt. "Do it with you," he replied simply.  
Theo could not help but smile back, as the car sped quickly, leaving Beacon Hills behind.

_TO BE CONTINUED._


	19. Wave of desperation

Theo and Liam proceeded forward, soon the sun gave way to the moon, and the sky began to dye black. Liam yawned dramatically, and Theo turned to look at him with a sneer. "Are you already tired?"

"We've been in the car for ten hours, and this CD begins to get bored, and we should buy another one," he suggested hopefully.

"You will not, the last time you wanted to buy me a CD, we were almost killed by the hunters, remember?" Theo reminded him

"Barely," Liam replied, turning off the radio. Theo gave him a smile before returning to the road. He noticed a sign indicating a fuel station and a diner a few hundred meters, and pointed it out to Liam. "We'll stop for something to eat, then we'll find a place for the night," he said, jostling. "Order something, I'll refuel in the meantime"

"Okay," Liam agreed, slinging into the squalid hot table. When Theo joined him, he discovered that Liam had ordered almost half the menu. He looked at him, shocked.

Liam gave him an innocent look "I was hungry"

"You spent at least 50 dollars, and we only left for a few hours"

Liam shrugged "It's Peter's money" Theo could not help smiling, throwing himself on the food. "How much do you think we will take to get there?" Liam asked him in a mouthful. Theo shrugged. "We'll take a few days to reach the border, otherwise we do not have a precise half so it's impossible to say. When we're there, we'll buy a local map, the one we have is useless "

"Maya talked about a river, I do not know there are rivers in that area," Liam said.

"It was probably a coded message, never a clear and concise clue," said Theo sarcastic.

“Where would otherwise it be the fun? " Liam replied, leaping on the coffee the waitress had just served him. "Wah this coffee sucks," he whispered.

Fortunately, the opening titles of the news covered his comment. Theo shook his head in amusement. Suddenly their eyes were attracted by the TV, where the announcer was pointing out the murders in New Orleans. The amount had risen to 8 dead. The last two occurred kilometers away from the city. What united them was the brutality of the dead and the bizarre tattoos on the victims' wrists. "Other werewolves," Liam whispered.

Theo swallowed. "If it's Monroe the one who is creating the chimeras, how does she control them?" he asked in a whisper. "Why do they attack the werewolves and not even humans?" Liam gave him a confused look. They did not have an answer for that. In fact it was for that reason that Scott and Malia were heading for New Orleans at that time, and that was why the others had stayed in Beacon Hills looking for the hunter's base.

"Now let's move on to astronomy: in a week, a total lunar eclipse will occur, which will be observable everywhere in the States-" Theo blanched at that moment. Liam looked at him worriedly, looking around the room, looking for a possible threat. "What's up, are you okay?"

"She just said ... eclipse?" he snapped. Liam nodded "Yes why?"

"Do not tell me you do not know," he hissed in disbelief. "What happens to werewolves during the eclipse" Liam shook his head, confused. "We lose our powers, Liam"

Liam's eyes widened "Are you kidding?" "Throughout the night, we would get back human" "Oh God-" "And do you know who does not lose powers?" he then said, with a grimace on his face. Liam met his gaze

"A _chimera_ "

  
 

*

"You know, I like this way of traveling more," Malia commented, unable to hold back a smile, squeezed into the passenger seat of Stiles' jeep. Scott gave her a smile that turned into a grimace, when the eyes rested on the electrical panel.  
They had left Beacon Hill for about ten hours, and honestly Scott was wondering when the jeep would abandon them. As if calling it, a thread of smoke began to rise from the bonnet.  
Scott met Malia's gaze. "You know, I do not know which one is more dangerous, an airplane that risks crashing, or a jeep that sooner or later will explode into pieces," he said.  
"Plane," Malia commented, then turned to rummage under the back seat. "We have this" she said with a smile, holding the adhesive tape in her hand.  
Scott gave her a smile, before approaching, and grabbed the tape to add the umpteenth patch to the engine.

  
 

*

"Do you think Monroe plans an attack on the day of the eclipse?" Liam asked, when Theo, after paying the bill, returned to him. "She would be silly not to take advantage of it" "Unless she ignore this information," Liam suggested. "I did not know it." Theo gave him a compassionate look. "Okay I get it," Liam mumbled.

He grabbed the phone, and sent a message to Scott to inform him of the eclipse, in case he did not already know. If Monroe had attacked, he would surely attack those who remained at Beacon Hill. Fortunately, the only werewolves were Isaac and Alec, and they could count on two Banshees, on Kira, Lisa and Corey. But even Malia and Scott would have been an easy target in New Orleans, and they two were on the move, but no one could guarantee that they were not followed. "Where are we going now?" Liam asked with a sigh.

"We will look for a place to park for the night" "Do you want to sleep in the car?" "Well, since someone has consumed 50 dollars of dinner, we should be content," Theo murmured, with a sneer.

He entered a dirt road, parking in a field a few miles from the main road. "Here it should be fine," he commented, looking around. He did not notice anyone's presence for miles. He got out and Liam followed him. "We can settle on the back," he said, jumping on the trailer. "Okay," Liam said, helping him settle their things so they could sit down. They remained silent, lying side by side, watching the sky, enjoying the peace of that moment. "What are you thinking about?" Theo asked him suddenly in a whisper.

"What would you like to do next?" Liam asked him suddenly. Theo looked at him confused "I mean ... when all this is over, when the war is over," he explained. Liam met the boy's gaze. "I would like to go to college, get a job, and take a flat .... and I would like you to come with me," he whispered.

Theo looked at him "Liam ..."

"Promise me we'll do it, we'll go to college together … when all this will be over," he interrupted with an almost desperate expression. Theo smiled at him, and slid his hand over Liam's. "I promise you"

Liam exhaled, almost more relieved, before moving, his head on Theo's chest, his hands still intertwined. Theo rested his cheek to the other's head, Liam's hair tickling his skin, inspiring the boy's familiar smell, a worried expression on his face, the weight of a promise he did not know if they could keep.

*

They were hours trudging through the woods. Alec snorted, and Lisa gave him an amused look. "I think Theo did not just teach you how to use your powers, right now you seemed _him_ " Alec laughed

"We're walking for hours, and we have not found anything," he protested.

"What did you expect? An arrow in the middle of the woods with the words 'The Hunters' Hut on this side '?" Lisa asked sarcastically.

"It would have been useful," he commented. Lisa rolled her eyes and turned to continue. "Wait for me Lis-aah!" Lisa whirled around, and snorted, before bursting out laughing.

Alec hung like a salami on a rope strung from a tree. "It must be one of the hunters' traps" "Well, would you like to pull me down instead of laughing?" Lisa approached, pulling out a small knife she carried with her for emergencies.

"You know, you should be the one with the claws," she reminded him. "At this moment I feel the blood going to my brain, I could not even cut the thread of a spider's web"

Lisa set about freeing her friend, but stopped herself in the attempt. Suddenly she had clearly felt something. "Lisa?" "Do you hear them?" "What?"

"There's someone under us"

"What part of 'I have blood to my brain' did not you understand?" Lisa hurried to free him. Alec fell to the ground with a roar. "Shh" Lisa whispered. Alec rolled his eyes before getting up. "Do you hear them now?" she repeated.

Alec closed his eyes and concentrated. "They must be many, I feel confused and mixed emotions" she said, looking for Alec confirmation.

"Yes, I hear hearts beat" "How many?"

Alec had a confused expression "Ten maybe, maybe a few more, not more than twenty" He opened his eyes

"Here we are, we found them," Lisa said triumphantly, pulling out her cell phone

"What do we do now?" Alec asked him anxiously.

"Now ..." Lisa opened the maps on her cell phone and looked for their coordinates to forward them to Lydia "... let's go back to the base, and decide a plan of attack"

*

It was 6 o'clock in the morning when Liam and Theo were woken by a telephone ring. Theo snorted '"Who the hell writes you at this time of the morning?" he mumbled, throwing his head under the covers. Liam sat up with a sleepy expression on his face, rummaging around to look for the phone. He found it under Theo's foot.

He unlocked "It's Lydia" then said.

Theo pulled his head out from under the covers. "Did something happen?" he then asked, looking at Liam. "I have no idea, I do not understand what she wrote" Liam handed the cell phone to Theo

"Burbank" read Theo. "she wrote just that"

"What does it mean?" Liam asked.

"Wait," Theo suddenly exclaimed, sitting up and rummaging in his bag. "What are you looking for?"

"This" Theo pulled out the map of the United States. "Look" He pointed to a spot near them.

"The Burbank airport?" Liam asked skeptically, picking up his cell phone. "What's she trying to tell us? To take a plane?" Liam said ironically.

Then he looked at the cellular undecided whether to answer or not. He glanced at the time "She sent it at midnight," he whispered. Then he read the date. "Today is June 21st," he exclaimed suddenly shocked. Theo looked at him without understanding "The date! The date on the Lydia's drawing, indicated this day"

Suddenly he seemed to understand. He jumped up "Hurry up, get in, we have to get there as soon as possible!"

  
 

*

It was almost lunchtime when Scott pulled up the jeep, miraculously still moving, out of the stable of Miguel's pack. Malia jumped down grabbing their packs, before following the boy over the entrance. "I thought you did not come anymore," Miguel's voice said from a corner.

He was sitting with two other men around a table, the New Orleans map open in front of them. "Well ... we had some ... technical problems on the way," Scott said with a grimace.

Miguel looked at them worriedly "Hunters?" he inquired '.

"Nah" Malia snorted "The tape is finished," she added dramatically. The other three looked at her without understanding.

"I also sent you a text message, true alpha, did not you get it?" the alpha complained. Scott pulled out his cell phone and saw only then that it was off. "Damn" Miguel pointed to an outlet to recharge it and Scott obeyed, lighting it immediately.

"Some news?" Malia inquired. "Liam, he wrote me ... _Do you know anything about the eclipse of next week?_ " Scott looked up at Malia.

"Will there be a lunar eclipse next week ?!"

"Why? What does it mean?"

"It's the night when werewolves lose their powers," Miguel explained gravely.

"I do not like it" Malia commented, worried, looking back at Scott, who had now assumed a confused expression. "Is everything ok?" Liam wrote anything else? "

"No, not Liam ... Lydia," he whispered. At her interrogative look, Scott showed her the message.

"Bourbon" read Malia. "What does it mean? How can she think about alcohol at a time like this?" She snorted. Scott looked back at the message. It was impossible not to notice that she had sent it at midnight. "No, it must mean something," he whispered.

"Did you say Bourbon?" Miguel repeated. The two turned to look at him, and he turned to look at the map on the table. Scott and Malia approached, following Miguel's finger that pointed to a New Orleans road. "Maybe she wanted to point to Bourbon Street," he said.

"Then let's go right away," Scott snapped. At the questioning look of Miguel, Scott replied in a whisper "It was the message of a banshee"

  
 

*

Stiles and Ian, after spending the morning around the campus, were now sitting comfortably in the cafeteria to fill their stomachs. Though he tried to push the thought aside, Stiles could not help wondering what his friends were doing at the time. And besides ... he could not help wondering why Ian was hiding the bestiary in his bag. And if the first question was an unknown quantity right now, for the second one he had the answer at hand.

He watched Ian put down his knife and fork and quickly swallow a glass of water. "Look, I can ask you a question ... personal question?" Stiles asked. Ian looked at him for a moment before beckoning him to continue. "Why do you want to join the FBI?" he asked him then. "Why do I like to make respect justice?" Ian answered ironically by way of question.

Stiles looked at him amused. "Come on, there must be something more," Stiles exclaimed.

"Why did you want to join the FBI?" Ian asked the question with a grin.

"Well, I have a natural talent for the investigation, it was a pity to waste it," Stiles replied with a swoon.

"Come on, there must be something more," Ian replied sarcastically.

Stiles sighed. "Things have happened to me, I've seen so many people die, I've never had any other weapons to defend myself if not my head ... and a baseball bat, but this is not important now" he tapped his fingers on the table " So I thought I could do it, I could really use this head to save and help those in need, "he concluded. Then he looked at him. "Your answer?"

Ian looked at him and sighed. Assuming a sad expression "My family was killed two years ago, my mother, my father ... my younger brother was kidnapped ... only I saved ... I want to join the FBI to find out the truth" Stiles looked at him expectantly, but Ian did not seem to want to continue.

"Did you find out ... something?"

"Nothing that I did not know, I saw their bodies, the one who killed them could not be human ..."

Stiles opened his eyes and pretended to be surprised "So ... what could it be?"

Ian crossed his eyes with those of the boy, leaning on the table to get close to him. "Do you believe in werewolves?" he whispered to him.

  
 

_*_

When they were on Bourbon Street, Miguel pulled the van up and the three jumped off. The road was noisy and busy. Malia tried to catch some smell but it was impossible. All she felt was sweat, tar and carbon monoxide. Malia barely grimaced, turning to the other two. "Where we go?"  
"Come, let's take a ride," Miguel answered guiding them in an alley. "If your friend has directed us to the chimeras, they will be hidden in some alley, certainly not in the main street"

  
When they were alone, far from the noise, in the damp and foul-smelling alleys, Miguel reached into his pocket and pulled out a pistol. Scott looked at him curiously "Why the gun?"  
"I do not like dirtying my claws of blood," he replied simply.  
"Shh" Malia whispered. "I hear something" She looked at them with a gesture of hiding "Someone's coming"  
Malia crouched behind a dumpster while Scott and Miguel stood around a corner, Miguel holding the gun in his hand.  
"Come on, walk faster" A man-like hoarse voice came to their ears, followed by a groan and then a growl.

Malia leaned over, a few meters away from them was a man, a black uniform, a crossbow hanging over his shoulder, pushing a little girl, who would not be older than 14. Malia clearly perceived the smell of her, it was certainly a chimera, and the man ... had to be a hunter.  
She caught Scott's eyes a few feet away from her, and they nodded. "I distract him," Miguel whispered, then nodded to Malia, pointing to the emergency stairs behind her. Malia obeyed.  
Then the alpha snapped forward, the gun pointed at the hunter "Stop, do not take another step or I shot," he shouted. Both the man and the girl turned to look at him. "Let her go," he told him.  
He replied with a sneer "You do not really want me to let her go, it would not be a good show"  
"I know it's a chimera, who are you, a Monroe hunter?" he asked, without lowering his weapon. He answered with another sneer.  
Scott glanced at the hunter. If he had been a Peacemaker, he would have had a tattoo, so he had to be a Monroe soldier. But why did the Monroe have to kidnap her own chimeras?  
"Wolves ... werewolf ..." she snarled, shaking her hands to free her from the rope behind her back, a rope that must have been soaked in yellow wolfbane.  
The hunter looked at her for a moment "Well, well," he whispered, before extracting a syringe from his pocket.  
"What are you doing? Put it down, "Miguel shouted, but the hunter stuck the syringe into the chimera's neck with a sharp gesture, just as Malia lunged at him from the fire stairs, spreading him out.  
The chimera growled, her eyes turned golden, and fangs and claws appeared. Malia had time to look up at her alarmed, that hit her with a kick making her roll a few feet. The chimera roared, pulling hard until she tore the ropes that bound her.

  
Miguel fired one, two shots, which did nothing but make her more infuriate. She snapped at the man, who threw the gun away in a dramatic gesture, extracting fangs and claws and hurling himself at her. The hunter rose from the ground, retrieving his crossbow and pointing it at Malia lying on the ground. He started to shoot, until he heard someone grab him by the scruff of his neck and fly him back a few feet.

  
Scott approached Malia "Are you okay?"  
"Ah-ah," she murmured as she stood up. While Miguel faced the chimera, Scott and Malia focused on the hunter.

  
 

Malia came up, grabbing him by the neck. "Who are you, are you with Monroe?" she growled. He nodded, already cyanotic, unable to breathe. "What do you want to do? Are you creating chimeras?" screamed Malia.  
"Malia, let him breathe," Scott told her, waving her hand. Malia looked at him before leaving the grip. Scott disarmed him. "Speak," Scott told him. That did not move a muscle. Malia growled at him. "What does Monroe do with chimeras?" Scott asked him again.  
He looked up with a grin. "You'll find out soon"  
"Please, Scott, can I punch him?" Malia asked him.  
"No, he comes with us to the base, along with the chimera, we'll let them talk," said the boy.  
At that moment the hunter looked around, assessing the escape routes. Miguel had just grasped the chimera, hurling it a few feet away. The hunter quickly moved to take advantage of the momentary distraction of the two and grabbed the gun abandoned by Miguel. He fired one, two shots on Malia and Scott, pushing them down. Then he quickly opened the gun magazine by inserting the mercury bullet left him by Monroe.  
Before the others could understand what was happening, he fired a shot at the chimera on the ground, "No!" screamed Scott, then aimed the gun at himself, firing a blow to the head.  
 

The three remained stunned. Malia was panting. She turned to look at the quivering chimera spitting mercury. She remembered that scene well. The chimera was dying.  
"Why did he do it?" whispered.  
"He desperately wanted to stop us from capturing them and getting information," Miguel replied, moving his gaze from the man on the ground to the girl, now returning to her human appearance.  
Scott inhaled. "Do you smell it?"  
Malia imitated his gesture and took a shocked expression. "Smell of blood, and despair," she said.  
"It can not just come from them," Miguel skeptically said. Malia led the way, following the smell.  
At that moment someone shouted. Then another one. "What is happening?" Scott exclaimed a few steps behind the girl.  
They found themselves on the main road in a moment. Malia looked to the left and then to the right. She moved towards a group of people gathered on the sidewalk. She pushed them to be able to see followed by Scott and Miguel. On the ground, there was a man.  
"He threw himself downstairs, suddenly he opened the window and threw himself down" was blabbering a woman a few meters from them upset. "There's another one!" someone shouted. "A woman has thrown herself down there too!" "I also heard a shot" "Someone died, he shot himself in the bathroom!" Panic was spreading.

  
"What is happening?" exclaimed Malia, shocked.  
"I do not have the slightest idea," Scott whispered.

  
 

*

"In your opinion, what should we look for?" Liam asked Theo as they entered the main hall of the airport.  
Theo looked at him in confusion. "I do not know, there will be thousands of people in here, not to mention the fact that we can not get past those," he replied pointing to the metaldetector.  
"Do you think Lydia sent us here because someone will die?" the other whispered  
"It's a Banshee, it's the most logical thing that comes to mind, but I have no idea what to do." Theo shook his head disconsolately.

  
Liam inhaled trying to catch some chemo-signal. Anything.  
"And then how do we know it has not happened yet, or that it will not happen in several hours, if it happens here, or on an airplane, or in the parking lot or ..."  
"... or up there." Liam interrupted Theo's rant, the shocked gaze fixed over the window, toward the airstrip, or better to the sky.  
Someone gave a strangled verse "What's that ?!" he heard someone shouting "What's up?" Several people stood up or turned like them.

  
An airplane was approaching the runway, but did not seem to intend to land. The vehicle was shaking with speed, dangerously swaying. By now it was clearly visible to everyone even from the ground. Liam was shocked, his gaze fixed on it.

  
Theo cocked his ears, trying to pick up the voices in the control tower that was less than a mile from them. "Flight 291, answer" No answer. "Answer, return the plane en-route"  
"It will crash," Theo whispered to Liam.

  
At that moment the plane veered directly against the control tower. Everyone screamed, someone ran away. Theo and Liam stood there motionless, filled with the smell of panic and confusion, the fear of the passengers when the plane was close enough to perceive it.  
They did not even have time to react, that the plane collided against the control tower, sending it in pieces, and then hit the ground a few hundred meters more '. There was a roar, an explosion and the plane blew up. The whole building trembled. More screams. Someone was crying.

  
Theo grabbed Liam by the shoulders "We have to get away from here," he shouted.  
"No ... why ... why she sent us here ..." Liam blathered  
"We could never have avoided it!" Theo shouted over the confusion.  
"Then why...?!"  
Theo grabbed Liam's hand pulling him away "Maybe we just _had to see it_ "

  
 

*

"Hey Lydia"  
"Stiles ..! Everything okay?" Lydia could not help but smile at the sight of her boyfriend.  
"Yes, I just wanted to say hello, how are things there?" Lydia grimaced. "News from others?"  
"Still nothing, but they left only one day, what about you?"  
"Well," he began with a sigh "Apparently I have a mystery on my hands" Lydia looked at him curiously "I told you about the orientation, right? Well, apparently the guy I have to ... orientate ... know about the supernatural: or rather, it seems that his family was killed by werewolves a few years ago, he keeps a _bestiary_ in his bag "  
"Do not get in trouble, Stiles, what will you do when he finds out you're part of a pack of werewolves?"  
Stiles snorted "I just want to help him, the odds that he was our werewolf's fault are scarce ... if we exclude Peter and Theo"  
"Just promise me that you'll be careful," Lydia told him  
"You know I'll do it," he assured her. "Listen, ask some questions for me ... his name is Ian Harrington, his family died two years ago, his brother is gone"  
Lydia sighed "Okay, I'll see what I find-"  
"LYDIA" Isaac's voice came from the living room. Lydia jumped up. "Lydia, run!" he repeated.  
"Sorry, Stiles- I have to go, I'll call you later"  
Stiles nodded, a worried expression on his face. "Keep me in the loop," he said only before hanging up.  
Lydia jumped into the living room "What's up?"  
Isaac and Mason were standing in front of the television, which broadcast an extraordinary edition of the news.  
"... shocking! Today over 9,000 suicides have been recorded in every part of the world .... Such a high rate had never been recorded in history! .... An airplane crashed in the airport of Burbank, causing over 100 victims.The pilot left a farewell message at his home in Los Angeles ...- ... it is as if a wave of despair had suddenly hit the whole world ... "  
"What the hell is going on?" Mason whispered.  
"It started," said a weak voice behind them. Everyone turned to look at Maya, the pale face, standing on the bedroom door.  
"What?" Lydia whispered

" _The end_ ," she answered in a whisper.  
Lydia turned to the canvas. "Today is June 21st," she summarized. "The dates I wrote indicate ... a series of mass disasters?" she asked, looking at Maya.  
But she looked confused. "I ... I ... I do not know, I'm not sure"  
Lydia groaned, putting a hand on her face. Mason joined her by placing a hand on her shoulder. "Keep calm" Then he focused on the dates. "So now we know that these are actually date, but if so ..." Mason crossed the line of numbers to the end "These are strange, because the last six numers are all zero!"  
Isaac also approached. Lydia inhaled "Maybe that date indicates the day x, the hypothetical day of the end," she whispered.  
"The last date transcribed is that of August 24th," said Mason.  
Isaac looked at them doubtfully "Are you telling me that there are about seventy days left at the end of the world?" The two did not answer. But Isaac took on a thoughtful expression. " _Seventy_ ..." he repeated. Then he turned to look at Maya still at the door.

  
He headed towards her, Mason and Lydia, who followed him with his eyes. Maya backed away "Show me your wrist," he told her slowly. Maya looked at him only a moment before obeying.  
Isaac shuddered. The tattoo glinted on the girl's wrist, indicating number 73. Maya followed her gaze "It's a countdown," she whispered. Lydia and Mason approached.

"Maya's tattoo shows the remaining days" Isaac added, looking at the other two.  
"Are you telling me ..." Mason made the look moved between them ".. that there are 73 fucking days left at the end of the world ?!"

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED._


	20. The list

Everything around her was dark. Maya felt her body like floating, eyes closed, mind turned off. She did not know where she was, she did not even have the strength to ask.  
Like a distant echo, she heard voices coming to her ears. She half-closed her eyes, a confused expression on her face, the body that did not respond to the commands. _But did she really have a body?_

  
 

Suddenly the darkness was broken by a beam of light, coming from a point above her. _No ... Do not open it, do not open it. Sh_ e wanted to scream, she had to warn them, she had to stop them, but the voice did not come out. _Did she really have a voice? What was she actually?_

 

The voices in the distance turned into screams of pain, death cries, rages of rage. _No ... I have to stop them, I have to follow them._ She thought, desperate. She wanted to reach the light, she _had to r_ each it. But before she could do anything, that light disappeared, and everything went dark. It was late. _No..._

 

Maya woke up shouting, sweating. She sat up on the bed and put her hands to her face, holding back sobs. She heard footsteps and someone slipped beside her, holding her by the shoulders.  
"It's all right, it was just a nightmare, do not worry." Isaac's voice tickled in her ear. Maya leaned her head on his shoulder, the tears bathing her eyes.  
"It was not a nightmare .... it was not a nightmare ..." she whispered, voice broken. "It was a memory ..."

 

*

"Do you receive me?" Mason's voice came loud and clear to Kira and Corey and Lisa's ears,, kneeling in the bushes, a few steps from the entrance of the hunters' hideout.  
"Strong and clear," Kira whispered to the headset. "Now let's go"  
After Lisa and Alec had found the area where hunters had settled, they had only spent a couple of days of patrolling to find the entrance, cleverly disguised. And now they were ready to infiltrate.  
"Can you perceive how many of them are there?" Kira whispered to Lisa. The girl closed her eyes to concentrate.  
"A dozen," she replied.  
"Okay, you two go in, I think about blowing up the alarm system," the kitsune said. Lisa and Corey nodded. Corey slid his hand into Lisa's, passing her invisibility. At that point Kira stood up, leaning back against a tree to observe the situation.  
"Check the trees, Kira, there might be cameras," Mason suggested to the headset. Kira made her eyes sparkle to see better, and peered up into the branches. It took her only a couple of minutes to find the two cameras pointing at the entrance. she inhaled.  
She would use her powers of Kitsune of electricity to short them, destroy them would immediately draw attention to them. She raised her hands to the first, then the second. A sizzle, and around the two devices were released of electric discharges. A faint smell of burning made Kira understand that it had worked.  
She slipped out of her hiding place and approached the hidden entrance. It looked like the entrance to a bunker. A magnetic stripe bedge was needed to enter. Kira was struck a moment. "How can they be so organized?" whispered.  
"It's the Argent bunkers," Mason replied to the headset. "Gerard has done everything to leave his legacy to someone as crazy as himself, even Argent doesnt know the location of all their deposits"  
Kira groaned at Gerard's thought, then reached for the recognition device and blew it up. When the door opened she nodded to where she knew Corey and Lisa were. She felt someone touch her shoulder.  
"Go, look for the lab, I distract them," she whispered. She could almost feel the two nod as they slid inside slowly.

  
 

*

"Hey Scott" Liam put the phone on the dashboard so that both he and Theo could see Scott on the screen.  
"Hey guys," he replied, gravely. "How is it going?"  
Liam shrugged. "We have been traveling for hours, we should reach the border tomorrow," answered Theo.  
"Did something happen?" Liam asked, reflecting the concern in the other's gaze.  
"Is it for the eclipse?" Theo asked, the look that swayed between Scott and the road.  
"Also, but it gets worse," he replied.  
"Worse? What's worse than losing our powers in the middle of a war?" Liam said sarcastically.  
Scott sighed "The fact that 71 days are left to the end of the world?" Scott suggested.  
At that moment Theo nailed, sending Liam crashing into the windshield. "Theo, what the hell-?" A car behind them clung to the horn and rushed past them, Liam could hear the man driving to them unflattering words.  
"Are you fine?" Scott inquired.  
"Well, have you just said that 71 days are left to the end of the world?" Theo repeated.  
"What the hell does that mean?" Liam exclaimed.  
"We do not know much, apparently the dates on the drawing are a countdown to the day x, Maya also has a tattoo that scans the countdown," Scott explained.  
"So what would those dates mean? Scott, we were there when that plane crashed ... "  
"I told him it was not safe!" they heard Malia's voice shout somewhere behind Scott. Scott rolled his eyes and returned to the conversation. "They would seem to indicate mass deaths, but we're not sure ... or at least, Maya is not sure ... Isaac is convinced that she is fundamental in this whole story"  
Theo seemed to reflect "Have you tried to read her mind?" asked.  
"I would not risk to hurt her, she is human, and she seems very weak and upset in these days"  
"Scott, we're talking about the end of the world," Theo reminded him. Scott seemed to weigh the words of Theo.  
"I think Theo is right," Liam whispered. "If the only ones who know something are the Peacemakers and Maya, then we have to do everything in our power to find out. If theo and I should not succeed with the Peacemakers, Maya would be the last hope "  
Scott sighed. "I assume you're right" He paused. "Anyway, I've been calling you for another reason, you know that in four days there will be an eclipse, I do not want you to be discovered that night ... I assume you're in Idaho now, or in Oregon?"  
Liam looked at Theo. "I have no idea"  
"We are in Idaho," confirmed Theo.  
"Can you get to Utah for the night of the eclipse?"  
"Utah?" repeated Theo "It's not even in the right direction"  
"I have a contact with a pack of the area, it's a pack of abstentionists, they're good at hiding, and it's usually there that we direct the omega or who does not want to deal with the supernatural"  
"A pack of cowards, practically," commented Theo. Liam gave him an exasperated look. "What is it? It's the truth" Theo shrugged. Scott snorted amused. "And where should we find this pack of ... pacifists?" Theo concluded at Liam's look.  
"In the Fishlake forest, in the Pando"  
"What is Pando?" Liam asked, confused.  
"A Utah wood, it is famous, they also call it the forest of trembling giants," Theo explained.  
"How do you know these things?"  
"I like biology," said Theo simply. Liam smiled and thought back to the zoo where he had confessed to Theo that he loved history in the same way.  
"Well, anyway ... can we leave again? I do not know if you've noticed, but we've been standing in the middle of the road for a long time," Liam said sarcastically.  
"We are in a lost street of Idaho, the only form of life I have seen in the last hours is a sloth"  
Liam looked at him wide-eyed "Where did you see a sloth in Idaho?"  
"He's sitting on my front seat, you've been sleeping for twelve hours, you know?"  
Liam gave him a sharp look, putting a punch on his shoulder. "Shut up Theodore"  
"Very mature," commented Theo, restarting the car.  
The two returned to look at the phone on the dashboard, when they heard Scott laugh. "Sorry," Liam mumbled  
"At least you two have fun," he said warmly  
"The next time we should go in search of a legendary and ancient order of hunters, we will take you too," Theo reassured him.  
"I count on it" he said. "Please, be careful, and do everything to get to these peacemakers," he continued.  
Theo and Liam nodded. "Count on it" they said in chorus.  
"We'll talk to you in a few days," Scott said, giving them a smile.  
Theo and Liam answered in turn, and watched Scott's face disappear.

  
 

*

Lisa and Corey moved cautiously. "There's someone at the end of the corridor," Corey warned. The two approached the corner to observe the scene.  
"Was there an electrical fault?" A man was asking to an older colleague.  
"It would seem"  
"It's time to send someone to check," said a third voice, approaching them.  
"Should we report to the commander?" asked the younger one again.  
"At the moment the Monroe is busy with the base of New Orleans, it is useless to disturb her with this nonsense"  
"Are Davis and Carl back from the recovery mission?"  
They did not hear the answer, because the three had disappeared over a side door.  
"What were they talking about?" Corey whispered to Lisa.  
"Recovery Mission? New Orleans ... Is it about the chimeras?" she did in response.  
"I do not understand anything," commented Corey. "Why should they recover the same chimeras they create and made circulate?"

  
*

  
Kira was just thinking that everything seemed strangely quiet and that everything was spinning particularly well, when she heard footsteps and the click of a charger. She whirled around, pulling out the katana. "Who are you-?" the man exclaimed, pointing his rifle at her.

  
Kira jumped, striking the weapon with the blade of the katana, disarming him. She turned around and kicked him on the chest, making him fly a few feet. She saw the man distinctly try to press a button on the transceiver.  
She knew that he would call for reinforcements. But she let him do it. She needed everyone to focus on her so she could give Lisa and Corey time.

  
 

*

Lisa and Corey distinctly heard the sound of the alarm. "I think it worked," Corey whispered.  
"Kira will be okay?" asked Lisa nervously.  
Corey gave her a reassuring smile. "Quiet, Kira is tough, she will manage to get away with a handful of hunters"  
She nodded "Okay, hurry up, we do not have much time"  
"How do we orient ourselves?" Corey said, turning to Mason.  
"If there is a control room with a computer, it will not be left uncovered in case of an attack," he said. "So if most of them are going to Kira outside, go where the remaining ones are on guard." The two obeyed.  
They discovered that Mason was right. Following their senses, they identified the only door out of which there were two armed men.  
Lisa looked at Corey "I think I can channel Kira's powers from here too" she said "Let's get closer"  
The two men were placidly guarding the door, when they distinctly heard someone's touch on their backs. They did not have time to wonder who or what was that an electrical discharge was through them, causing them to fall to the ground. At that moment, Corey opened the laboratory door followed by Lisa.  
"Hey- who you-?" The man did not have time to raise the pistol, which Corey pushed him at a fast speed against the wall, taking his breath away. He spread it by hitting him with the kick of the gun. Lisa meanwhile had rushed to the computer.  
"Mason here we are!" she exclaimed.  
"Well do you have the USB flash drive I gave you?"  
"Yes"  
"Insert it, it contains a virus that destroys protection systems" Lisa obeyed. She started the program and waited. Corey looked around slowly to scour the area.  
An exultation reached Mason's ears when they managed to access the computer. "Okay what do you see?"  
"Stuff" Corey whispered  
"More specific?"  
"There are numbers and data I do not understand, Mason," he snapped.  
At that moment there was a beep and a warning appeared. "Update: Natalie Smith. Death: 23 June 2018 at 13.56" read Lisa. Lisa clicked us over it.  
An endless list of names begins to appear on the screen. "What's this?" Corey whispered.  
"I think ... is the list of all the chimeras that have been created"  
"Great, make a backup on the USB stick," Mason suggested.  
At that moment the roar of an explosion was clearly heard.

  
 

*

Kira thought she could handle a dozen hunters armed with guns and arrows. But she was sure she could not handle a pair of hunters armed with granades.  
After spreading the first three, she put her hand to her ear. "Mason, what about Corey and Lisa?" She exclaimed.  
"They'll be out in a few minutes," he replied. At that moment another group of hunters came out of the bunker. They glanced at their fallen comrades, then looked up at Kira.  
"Are you sure you want to fight me?" she made sure, raising her katana. When the left hunter pulled the grenade out of the side pocket of his jacket, Kira's grin disappeared, and she stepped back a few steps.  
The man unhooked the safety and pulled her against Kira, while his companions snuck into the bunker safely.  
" GET DOWN" someone shouted behind her and she obeyed blindly, while an arrow stabbed the grenade still in the air causing it to explode. Kira coughed looking for Nolan.  
"What the hell are you doing here?" she screamed as he approached to help her get up.  
"Lydia sent me as a rearguard" When the dust cleared, Kira was ready with the katana and Nolan with the crossbow. As soon as the first hunter jumped out, Nolan hit him on the shoulder.  
" _You_!" the second exclaimed, looking at the boy. Nolan pointed his crossbow at him. The hunter raised his gun in turn. The companion points his too against Kira.  
"The traitor of his race," he commented, looked at Nolan. "Do you know that Monroe put a price on your head?" Nolan swallowed. "Apparently you have chosen the wrong side to stand up for"  
Nolan looked at him for a moment "I do not think so," he said.  
"You can not hit without us striking in turn, you're with your back to the wall, you're two are alone against us"  
Nolan gave him a sneer "We are _never_ alone"  
The two of them just barely gave them a confused look, when they heard an electric discharge through their body, causing them to fall to the ground. Lisa and Corey appeared behind them.  
"I love your powers, Kira," Lisa commented with a smile

  
 

*

When they arrived at the loft they found Lydia, Mason and Alec waiting for them. Mason looked at them. "Do you have it?" asked.  
Corey showed the triumphant key. Lydia grabbed her by slipping it into the laptop socket. Everyone gathered around the computer while Lydia opened the file.  
"You're right, it's a list of all the chimeras, updated with the respective dates of death"  
"These are recent," Nolan noted.  
"What does that mean?" Alec asked "What are they creating chimeras and then killing them?"  
"This makes no sense," Kira said.  
Lydia concentrated on the list. "According to this list there are about twenty chimeras still alive in circulation" she went upwards. The firsts had almost all of them next to a respective date of death. Except some. "Look," said Lydia. "It's the list of all the chimeras since the days of the Doctors"  
"The first name ..."  
"It's Theo," Lisa whispered.  
"Why is there a date of death?" Alec asked, indicating his friend's name.  
"January 22, 2018?" read Mason.  
"About when Theo lost his powers," Nolan recalled.  
"Look, I'm here, too," said Corey. His name was the only one not to report a date of death.  
"And there's Hayden," Lydia continued. "But she's not a chimera anymore"  
"Apparently they could update Theo's status but not Hayden's," said Mason.  
He looked at Lydia but she was taken to read another name, just above that of Corey and Hayden. "David Harrington" read weakly.  
The others looked at her. "Who is it?" Kira asked.  
Lydia looked at the date of death. "27 September 2016"  
"It's when the Doctors arrived in Beacon Hills," Mason recalled.  
"At the beginning of our last year," Lydia whispered.

 

*

Scott and Malia were sitting in Miguel's building, when Scott received Lydia's email. Malia looked at him "Who is it?"  
"Lydia sent me a file," he said, opening it. "Look"  
He showed his cell phone to Malia. "What's this?"  
"The list of existing chimeras, they did it," he exclaimed.  
Malia looked at the boy. "What do we do now?"  
"We find them before the hunters find them, I do not know what they have in mind, but I do not like this story at all"  
Another message warned of Monroe's presence in New Orleans.  
"It's here for the chimeras," observed Malia.  
Scott stood up, thinking. He had to decide whether to give priority to the chimeras or the dangerous countdown they were in. He looked at Malia. "Malia, I want to go back to Beacon Hills, there's something I have to do."  
Malia looked at him and nodded without asking for anything. "Do you want me to stay here?" she asked.  
Scott nodded. He forwarded the list of chimeras. "Try to find the chimeras, if Monroe is here, they're probably here too"  
Malia nodded. "What will we do when we find them?" she asked.  
"The priority is to find out what Monroe wants to do with them, we should capture and interrogate them, and if possible ... save them"

  
 

*

The next morning, Isaac slipped into Maya's room. He found her sitting on the bed, her eyes dull and confused. "How do you feel?" She did not answer. "Still those dreams?" Isaac sat down on the bed. Maya looked at the tattoo that indicated the number 70 in large letters. "Do you want to tell me what you dream?" he asked her again.  
She looked at him weakly. "Always the same dream, everything is so dark, there is a light and I try to go out, but I can not"  
"Going out ... from where?"  
She shook her head "I have no idea, I remember the fear, the despair, the desire to go out, I feel it's important to do it, but I do not know where I am or why ..." Her voice broke in her throat.  
Isaac grabbed her hand. "Maya ... Scott is coming back here, he took a plane last night and he will come to moments" He took a breath "He has the power to read the mind, to find even the lost memories, he can do it with you, if you want"  
Maya looked at him. "Can he help me remember?" Isaac nodded "Is it dangerous?" she interpreted noticing his gaze  
"A little, but you can trust Scott"  
"Do you trust him?"  
"More than anyone else in the world," Isaac answered immediately.  
Maya gave him a weak smile "Then I trust him"  
Isaac squeezed her hand in a reassuring grip. "Come" He helped her get up, leading to the main hall. The others had not yet arrived, Lydia was lying on the couch.  
He pulled up only when he heard the lock release, and Scott entered the loft. Lydia smiled at him "Hey" He stood up to hug him. Then Scott turned to Isaac and Maya.  
"Maya, are you sure?" She nodded firmly, still squeezing Isaac's hand  
"I want to remember, I _have to_ remember," she said only.  
Scott inspired by looking first at Lydia then Isaac. The two nodded.  
Scott approached a few steps, putting his hand on Maya's neck. "It will hurt a little, but do not be afraid," he reassured her.  
She nodded again, the hold even stronger on Isaac's hand. Scott still inspired and put his claws firmly on the girl's neck. Maya uttered a muffled verse as Scott closed his eyes and let himself go to the memories.  
He saw Maya, panting on the bed, hands on her chest, scared. Then Isaac facing the chimera, she running to his aid. He saw himself, Liam, Theo, Lydia and Isaac, looking at her in the same place they were at that moment. He saw Maya stumble through the streets of New Orleans, a policeman who looked at her worried, asking her if she was okay. Then...

_nothing._ Everything turned black. Silent. _Empty_. Scott gasped and so Maya, while the contact was interrupted.  
Isaac supported Maya, helping her to sit on the couch.  
Lydia grabbed Scott's wrist. "What did you see?" she asked anxiously.  
Scott looked upset at Maya "Nothing"  
"What does it mean?" exclaimed Isaac, looking at him in dismay.  
"The first memory she has is in New Orleans, there's _nothing_ before"  
Isaac and Lydia were startled. Maya looked at them one by one "What ... what does it mean ...?"  
"It's impossible," Lydia snapped.  
Isaac looked at the girl. "It's ... as if ... you did not exist before that day," he whispered then leaving Maya to look at him upset.  
"What the hell is going on?"

_TO BE CONTINUED._


	21. Eclipse

"We have been walking for hours"  
Theo stopped, raising his eyes to the sky. Then he turned slowly to Liam, a few steps behind him, with a sulky expression on his face.  
"We've been walking for twenty minutes, Liam"  
Liam ignored him, proceeding to complain "How much does it take yet?"  
"Three minutes less than the last time you asked," he snorted. " _Twenty-two minutes Liam_ ," he then pointed out, while Liam passed him, glaring.  
"Could not we come by car?"  
"Yes, of course, I'm sure the pick-up would have climbed over the fence, and it would have also skipped the stream ... and would have passed between one tree and another almost certainly ... and maybe we could have parked it in a coyote's lair, "said Theo sarcastically  
"It's not funny," Liam snapped, dodging a branch with force, a branch that, while turning to lightning Theo, returned right in his face. "Ow"  
"This is it," Theo commented.  
Liam stifled the curses, with tears in his eyes, pausing to watch Theo giggling, "We can always go back," he suggested. "We do not need to hide, we can sleep in the car, I'm sure nobody will find us," he protested pleadingly.  
"Scott would not be happy, and your safety is based on nothingness, so no, we will stay here," Theo replied in a pedantic way.  
"You do not give a damn about Scott, and not even bout hunters, you only have fun to see me suffer" Liam snorted  
"It's my only reason to live," Theo commented.  
At that moment, they heard footsteps from someone approaching. "There's someone," said Liam.  
"I heard it"  
"Scott said someone from the pack would come to meet us," Liam hypothesized, as they looked around, trying to hear the direction the footsteps came from.  
"They should hurry up, I'm hungry"  
A moment later the steps, audibly close, vanished. Theo tried to perceive smells or beats, but nothing.

  
The girl peered down from the top of a tree, towards the two, staying at a safe distance. She could hear from the smell that were werewolves. Everything okay, it was them. However she felt a familiarity in their smells. She jumped from one tree to another, hiding her own smell to avoid a possible tracing by possible enemies. When she was above them just two feet away, she could clearly see them on their face.

  
"Liam !?" she exclaimed, unable to hold back. She saw the two startled, frightened, the heads splashing toward her.  
"Hayden ?!" He exclamed upset as she jumped down from the tree.  
"Liam," she repeated slowly  
"Hayden"  
"Theo!" Theo exclaimed raising his hand.  
"Theo?" exclaimed Hayden, looking at him in confusion as if he had only noticed him then  
"Hayden!" Theo rolled his eyes "Are we finished?"

  
She moved her eyes from one to the other with a smile "I did not think you were the guests of tonight"  
"Guests?" Liam repeated slowly  
"Yes, I am part of this pack," she explained. Theo gave a little chuckle that sounded like "coward" in Liam's ears  
Liam looked at him badly. "Scott did not tell me you were part of this pack," he said with an almost accusatory tone.  
"I do not think he knows, I come here occasionally, I live with my sister in the town nearby, while they ... all the others, they hide here, rarely come out of the woods," she explained. She smiled again, "It's so good to see you again...” She waved them as if to say to follow her “Well, come on, it will be a long night," saying.  
Theo rolled his eyes. "You can say it loud," he commented. "Liam," he whispered, grabbing him by the sleeve, while Hayden led them, a few steps ahead of them. "What was that sleeping in the car thing?"  
Liam glanced at him between the smug and the vengeful. "Scott would not be happy and my safety is based on nothingness," he repeated.  
Theo gave him a look of fire "I hate you" snorted.  
"You don't"

  
 

*

"What's the plan for tonight?" Malia asked, watching Miguel fold the map of New Orleans. "Calm, we are equipped for these emergencies, the eclipses always attract us hunters of all kinds" he said quietly.  
"So what do you do?"  
"We have a bunker outside the city, we will hide there, our powers vanished, our smells will also vanish, even the chimeras will struggle to find us"  
"And you want to walk down the street as if nothing had happened to get to this bunker?" Malia did not seem convinced. Miguel gave a little laugh.  
"But no, we'll pass from below," he said, looking down.  
"Below? Is there an underground here?" Then she understood "Oh no, do you mean we should go through the sewers?"  
"If you do not want to end up sliced by the claws of a chimera, I would say yes"  
Malia sighed "I do not like the idea of having to hide" she crossed his arms  
"Nobody likes, especially no werewolf, but in war you also need to know how to distinguish when it's time to fight since it's time to retire," he said slowly. "Fighting now would only mean useless losses"  
Malia looked at him carefully before nodding. "And what will happen to those who do not have a bunker in which to hide?"  
Miguel looked up at her. "Are you worried about your pack?" Malia did not answer.  
She knew that their base of operations, Derek's loft, was definitely not an impregnable fortress. They did not have a bunker. They had the basement under the high school but needed a Hale to access it. They had no guns or weapons, and even if they had, none of them except Nolan could shoot. They were just kids, involved in a war they did not want, they had not asked.  
"They will manage," Miguel said, interrupting her thoughts. "Your pack is mixed, you are not only werewolves, you have banshee and chimeras and kitsune. They will not be discovered"  
Malia nodded again, the expression absorbed. Miguel came over and put a hand on her shoulder. "Come on, it's late afternoon, we have to get there before sunset"

  
 

*

"Are you sure about what you say?"  
Lydia nodded, looking seriously at Stiles' face through the laptop. Stiles sighed, putting his hand to his hair and pulling them back in a gesture of annoyance.  
"The name is David Harrington, and his death dates back to the time when the Doctors arrived in Beacon Hills"  
"Ian said he was from New York, why was his brother in Beacon Hills?"  
Lydia shrugged. "Stiles, if David died in Beacon Hills, your father will certainly know-"  
Stiles's eyes widened "Yes, you're right, so Ian told me that my surname sounded familiar to him!" Lydia looked at him questioning “Let's face it, how does my name sound familiar to somebody? Did you hear that? He will have certainly read about the police report”  
"What do you think to say to him now?"  
"Ah, I have no idea. 'Hi, Ian, how are you? You know when you told me that a werewolf exterminated your family? Actually, no, your brother was turned into a chimera by psychopathic doctors who then killed him when they discovered it was not the right one to host the Beast'  
Lydia sighed "Maybe you should let it go"  
"No, he hates werewolves, he wants to destroy them, exterminate them for this ... does he sound familiar to you? I can show him that it's not like that, it was not the fault of a werewolf" Stiles remains an overweight "And there's somebody who can actually tell me more about David "  
"Who are you thinking about?"  
"Theo"

  
 

*

As they walked through the woods, Hayden slowed down to stand next to Liam. Theo stood a few steps back, glaring at them, his stomach twitching painfully every time Liam turned to her, or whenever the two of them touched each other. Hayden wanted to know everything that had happened in Beacon Hills since her leave. Liam told her about the hunters, about Nolan and Gabe, Monroe, about Brett and Lori. About Lisa and Tara. To have become a true alpha. Everything, practically, except about him, about Theo.  
"I'm so sorry for Brett and Lori, Liam, I know how important they were to you," she said, stopping and resting a hand on his shoulder.  
At that point, Theo snapped forward, pushing Liam forward "Okay, just quit chatter now, do we want to walk faster? I'd like to get there before sunset," he exclaimed glaring at Hayden.  
She gave him a confused look. "Okay"  
Liam chuckled as Theo dragged him by the arm under Hayden's questioning gaze. "Are you jealous perhaps?"  
"I do not know what you mean" Liam laughed again.  
"I guess that you two are friends now," Hayden commented from behind, making them turn.  
"Um ..." Liam said. The girl's gaze moved from one to the other. "I would never have said that"  
"So many things have happened since you left-" Liam said  
"And anyway we're not friends," interrupted Theo. Liam looked at him sideways. Theo put his hand around Liam's shoulders. "Liam bit me, I'm his beta and ... ah, we are together"  
Liam rolled his eyes as Hayden laughed. "Funny ... are you joking, are not you?" She looked back at each other, from the frowning expression of Theo to that between Liam's guilty and amused. And her smile faded. "You're not joking, are you?" she asked seriously. She moves her finger between them "How the hell is that happened ?!" she exclamed upset.  
"So many things have happened since you left," Liam repeated.  
"I see"  
"Well now that we have clarified the situation, can we go?" Theo snapped. "And touch him again and I'll make you eat your own hands"  
Liam looked at him amused, as he turned to keep on. "Wow jealous you is a bitch," he commented, following him, laughing.  
Hayden looked at them in amazement before following them "I see no difference from the usual him"

  
 

*

Scott stood still and peered out the window when Lydia and Kira joined him. "How do you feel?" the Banshee asked him.  
Scott shook his head looking to the sky "Still soon, the effects will begin to feel after sunset"  
Kira looked at the clock "There are two hours to sunset" And she sighed.  
At that moment the door opened and the three turned to the new arrivals. Mason, Corey, Alec, Lisa and Nolan. Maya and Isaac arrived from the upper floor a few moments later.  
"Well, we're all there," Scott said. "In less than two hours, I, Isaac and Alec will completely lose our powers, this will make us an easy target. We do not know if there will be an attack, but underestimating the situation would be a mistake.As I hate to say it, the three of us, together with Maya, Mason and Corey we will stay in here"  
Lydia nodded and Kira imitated her "We'll take care, the four of us will defend the base"  
"We're going to go out of the building, we do not have to let him get inside," added the banshee, looking first at Nolan and then at Lisa. The two nodded.  
"If we're lucky, we could take some prisoners," Nolan said, rummaging in his pockets. "Deaton gave me something to enhance my arrows." And he showed them a bottle filled with a viscous liquid.  
"What's that stuff?" Alec asked disgustedly.  
"Kanima poison," Mason explained. Nolan nodded.  
"He extracted it from the body of the omega that Theo and Liam brought"  
"Well, I'd say we're ready"

  
 

*

Two hours later they were out of the building, each one positioned on one side. The transceiver in the ear to communicate with each other and inside. "Any movement?" Scott's voice came.  
"Nothing to report," Nolan reported, looking around  
"Nothing"  
"Idem"  
"Lisa?" Lisa moved slowly, taking a few steps forward. He breathed heavily. "Lisa?" She could feel the crushing weight of so many different emotions, anger, despair, pain. She gasped.  
"I think someone approaches, and with someone I mean several"  
"How many?" Scott's voice trembled in her ear.  
"I do not know, I would say ..." Her eyes widened "... almost fifty"  
"They are too many," exclaimed Mason. "They will never be able to fight them in four, we need a diversionary action"  
Corey looked at him "Do you have something in mind?"  
Mason bit his lip reflecting. A small army of chimeras without control was heading towards them quickly. Fangs, claws, paralyzing poisons, tails, poisonous spiers against four of them, armed only with a katana, a crossbow, lightning and the voices of Lydia and Nolan.  
"Wait," said Mason. "Thunderbolt is generated to the contact with the air right?"  
Alec looked at him "Do not ask me"  
Mason ignored him, turning to Lydia and Nolan. "Guys, would you manage to channel your voice on the thunders generated by Kira and Lisa?"  
"What do you have in mind?" Lydia asked him  
"We can create a shock wave that invests as many as possible"  
Nolan swallowed "I do not know if ..."  
"You can do it Nolan" Lydia interrupted encouraging "We can try"  
"Kira, join Lydia, Nolan, with Lisa," Mason ordered  
"Well," Alec commented "Let's have a nice chimeras fry"

  
 

_*_

Hayden had led them to the hidden entrance of a cave. "Is this the plan?" Theo asked.  
"Stop complaining," Hayden said. "It's more spacious than it looks, trust me." And she lowered herself inside.  
Theo and Liam exchanged a skeptical look before following her down a narrow tunnel. The walls of the cave were slowly widening. At the end there was a cheerful chatter and the warm light of a burning fire could be seen. The tunnel ended in a large underground cave, as large as a lacrosse field, dotted with fires, tents, sleeping bags and people. At least fifty. There were those who spoke, who laughed, someone somewhere strummed something with the guitar. Theo and Liam looked around with wide eyes.  
"There are those who make war ... there are those who do-" Liam nudged him to silence him. Theo rolled his eyes.  
"See? Here we could have easily parked the pick-up," Liam observed sarcastically earning another dirty look.  
"Come, let me introduce you to Valerie, our alpha," Hayden said, ignoring their comments.  
Valerie turned out to be an elderly woman, with long silvery hair, who would have had the age of Kira's mother. Theo refrained from asking how she still managed to stand up. Her grip as well as her voice was trembling on the hands of Liam and Theo as she leaned toward to welcome them.  
"It's a pleasure to meet Scott McCall's young beta, even though I've heard you're a true alpha now, too." Liam nodded.  
Valerie looked at Theo "And he must be your first beta"  
"The first and the only one," Theo commented.  
"How did you get it?" Liam said.

"I will not have the strength I had in the past, but this has allowed me to better refine my other senses. The link between alpha and beta is something very powerful, and indissoluble, especially if the two wolves are also mates" Valerie chuckled and Liam felt himself blush.  
"What is a mate?" Hayden asked, moving nervously beside them.  
"Let's put it this way," Valerie said, looking at her. "You could look anywhere in the world for a bond that is more solid between the one of an alpha and his beta, which are in turn each other's anchor ... who have in turn been chosen as mates ... who are also in love with each other ... and never find it ... It's something ... unique "  
Liam and Theo looked at each other embarrassed, but could not hold back a smile.  
Hayden looked at them, too. "Who'd have thought," she whispered.

Valerie smiled "Well I think I can retire now, I'm not like the partying type." she mumbled, rising with difficulty. Liam helped her. "Thank you dear, have fun, please, Hayden, if you meet Shawn, send him to me." Hayden nodded, taking a minute to actually wonder where Shawn was, it was almost two weeks since they saw him.  
"Come on, let's have a drink," she said, guiding them to a table on one side of the cave. "We usually bring alcohol for werewolves to these gatherings, but it did not seem to be the case today, we should be content with coca cola and orange juice," she said, putting two glasses in their hand.  
"Too bad, the only day we could really get drunk like humans, so wasted," Theo said sarcastically.  
"Is anything good for you?"  
"I do not think so"  
"I can only agree," Liam commented.  
Hayden laughed. "So, would you tell me what brings you in the middle of Utah?"  
"Scott sent us here, we could very well get away on our own," Theo muttered.  
"Oh really?" Liam said "You were not of this idea a few hours ago"  
"I meant, why are you traveling?" Hayden laughed again.  
"Well ..." Liam started looking at Theo.  
"Tell her, I do not want to repeat the same story for the umpteenth time," said Theo, turning around  
"Where you go now?"  
"Taking a reconnaissance tour" Liam and Hayden watched him walk away, then Liam returned to look at the girl, with an exasperated sigh.  
"We are trying to track down a group of hunters," he explained  
"The Monroe hunters?"  
"No ... they call themselves Peacemakers, they are an ancient order whose motto is 'we kill who kills'. We know that they are somewhere in Canada in the Rocky Mountains"  
Hayden raised an eyebrow "It does not seem a very clear indication"  
Liam shrugged. "We're a little winging it"  
" Liam's classic plan," she commented, "So the plan is to find them, why..? do you want an alliance?"  
"It's not just this, Lydia has designed their symbol with a series of dates that seem to indicate mass disasters ..."  
"Are you referring to what happened last week?" Now Hayden became careful. "My sister was called on the scene of at least ten suicides that day"  
"We do not know what's going on, but evidently they know ... or Lydia would not have drawn their symbol"

"What is symbol?"  
"It's a tribal symbol, spherical, made of lines and inscriptions, I could not describe it.They have it tattooed it on one arm, or at least the one we met had it there "  
"Did you meet one of 'em?"  
"Yes, so we discovered them"  
"Did you say on the arm?" Hayden became thoughtful.  
"All right?" Liam asked her. "Yes .. I was just thinking"  
Actually she did not know much about him. She only knew that he occasionally visited Valerie. Could be-?  
Liam who cleared her throat, clearly uncomfortable, made her return to reality. She looked at him attentively, deflecting the thread of her thoughts on him.

  
That guy. She had loved him. And she knew that he had loved her back. She wondered if what they had shared had disappeared completely. Or if at least, something was left of what was there before. Trust, friendship ... She could not even demand for it. Hayden knew that she had broke up with him. She had left. But she could clearly see that the way Liam looked at Theo, and the way Theo looked at Liam, was completely different from the way they looked each other in the past.  
"You hate me?" Hayden asked suddenly. Liam whirled around at her, his eyebrows frowned in a confused expression.  
"Eh ... no, what are you saying? I could never hate you" Liam sighed. "I missed you, I was sick when you left, very sick ... but I get over it ... Now ... we're okay, i guess ... Can we ... be friends?"  
Hayden gave him a smile, nodding "Yes, it seems like a good plan" She was silent for a moment before talking again "You know, when I left, I thought we could try a long distance relationship, but for some reason ... I did not feel right, " she said, looking straight ahead. "I did not know how to explain it, but I felt that something ... had changed between us after the Wild Hunt ... I felt ... that something had changed in you ... At that time I could not say what, but now I start to understand it. Something happened between you and Theo during the Hunt, is not it? While I was gone... It was there that something changed in your relationship ... "  
Liam looked at her. "I do not know, probably, yes, when we fought together at the hospital against the Ghost Riders, something happened, and I could not explain it then either, it took me months to figure it out"  
Hayden laughed "You've never been particularly conscious about these things"  
Liam laughed too. "Yes, it's true"  
"But I'm happy for you, if Theo makes you happy, it's okay with me, and if you trust him, I trust him too"  
"Thank you"  
"I think you should go to him now, I really would not want to be without hands tomorrow when the fangs come back," she commented sarcastically, patting him on the shoulder.  
"You're right" he laughed again, while Hayden turned to reach her pack with a last smile.

  
 

_*_

They were in position. Lisa and Kira, on their knees, hands on the ground, ready to unload their lightning. Lydia and Nolan respectively behind them, ready to broaden the range of the electric discharges with their voices, when the chimeras would have been far enough to be invested, without the risk of being carbonized themselves in turn.  
"Lisa" Lydia's voice said to the headset "You're the only one who can hear them, you give the way"  
Lisa closed her eyes to focus on the emotions of approaching chimeras. They were less than a mile away, and they advanced rapidly. "Three ..." she whispered.  
Nolan behind her gulped, getting ready. He had never done anything like this. The most he had tried was to move some weight or break some glass.  
Seven hundred meters. "Two ..." Kira closed her eyes to reopen them immediately, the orange irises.  
Five hundred meters. "One ..." Lydia put her hands in place. Mason, Corey, Alec, Isaac and Maya watched the scene from the window.  
Three hundred meters "GO!"  
A shower of lightning struck a few yards away from them just as Nolan and Lydia cried out with the most breath in their throats. The shock wave hit the rain of lightning, while Kira and Lisa tried to keep contact with the ground. The lightning multiplied, amplifying in the direction of the chimeras. There were rumbles, in places where lightning clashed against trees. Explosions, and cries of pain as some chimeras were hit and fell to the ground. In some places fires were released. There were snarls, while the chimeras remained standing up at them. Kira jumped up and pulled out the katana. Nolan pulled out the crossbow, firing at sight.  
"Lisa, how many remained standing?" screamed Scott's voice in her ear.  
Lisa gasped, trying to get her energy back. "Twenty I guess"  
She screamed when a chimera, judging by the tail and agile movements to be half kanima, jumped from a tree closer to her directly. She dodged her, throwing herself aside, while Nolan pushed her away from her with a powerful cry.  
Kira was fighting with a sword against three other chimeras, while Lydia was engaged in close combat against a wendigo. When he grabbed her by the shoulder, teeth protruding from his hand where he had a second mouth, Lydia moaned in pain, before pulling him away with a cry. Then she collapsed to the ground on her knees, bringing a hand to the wound.

"Lydia!" Kira cried, letting the last chimera fall to the floor. Kira also had a showy cut on her face, and some slides on her right leg. Kira was about to reach her friend, when something invisible grabbed her from behind, probably girdling her by the neck, given the expression she assumed.  
"Kira," Lydia shouted, trying to find the strength to scream. But she gasped as she fell to the ground, when a second chimera struck her in the back with a paralyzing spine.  
"We have to help them," Alec gasped.  
"They will never be able to resist until dawn," Isaac whispered. Maya looked at him.  
Corey peered at the shocked battlefield. "What's wrong with these chimeras? They seem completely out of control"  
"They inject something to make them more aggressive," Scott said, remembering what the hunter had done in the alley.  
"It's not just that," Maya whispered. She took a step back, while everyone turned to look at her. Then he ran to the door.  
"No Maya!" he shouted after Isaac following her. With the others behind the wheel.  
Nolan ran to Kira, who gasped suspended in the air, and fired blindly, hoping to hit the invisible chimera. But he saw the arrow stop in midair, a few inches from Kira, as she slipped unconscious. The arrow turned, as it was hurled at him. Nolan shouted, the arrow was rejected, just as something hit him heavily in the chest, causing him to take a breath away.  
"Nolan," Lisa cried, her face twisted, blood running down her forehead. She approached him, while the invisible chimera reappeared before them. And at least ten others gathered in a circle around the four, two of them on the ground agonizing.  
"What we do?" Lisa whispered. Almost six hours still at dawn. "It's the end," she thought.  
At that moment, the door swung open and Maya rushed out followed by Isaac, then by Scott, Mason, Alec and Corey"What are you doing here?!" she shouted.  
The chimeras turned to the five new arrivals, as if they were more appetizing prey. Alec, Mason, and Corey backed away.  
Scott focused on their eyes. They seemed blinded, completely out of control, somehow reminded him of Tracy in the grip of night terrors. What were they dreaming about?

  
The chimeras slowly approached.

When with a last growl, everyone started in the direction of the group, Maya took a step forward.  
She did not know what she was doing, she did not know who she was or why she felt she had to do it, but she did. Her body moved instinctively. The hand snapped up, moving with a firm nod towards the chimeras, and her mouth uttered words of which she did not even know the meaning " _Requio ex malo_!"

  
It was as if a wave hit the chimeras, all cried, bringing their hands to their heads from pain, and fell to the ground, fangs, claws, tails, disappeared, bringing them back to human form. Their eyes returned to their natural color, their expressions empty and upset, as they collapsed to the ground with no strength.  
Everyone looked at the scene in shock. When the last chimera was on the ground, silence fell. Maya also stared upset at her hand, as if she did not believe what had just happened.  
"Maya ..." Scott's voice came, weak behind her. Maya turned slowly, to meet their stupefied looks "What's going on?"  
Maya was breathing heavily, her gaze absorbed, trying to connect the thoughts "Madness is an effect of the first wave" she said only, leaving them even more confused.  
"The first wave?" repeated Isaac confused.  
"It's only the first, others will come"

  
 

_*_

Liam, leaving the confusion of the bonfire behind, reached Theo who had sat by the pond, a few hundred meters from the entrance to the cave.  
"You know, the point of joining them was to be safe together in the cave," Liam pointed out, sitting down next to him on the wet soil.  
"There's nothing safe about putting me and Hayden, who does nothing but come up behind you everywhere, in the same cave," observed Theo, raising an eyebrow.  
Liam gave a single amused sigh before turning back to the boy, crossing his gaze, serious. "I do not care about her, I did not even care about being left without powers in a car without protection, if it meant staying with you"  
Theo smiled sighing "I know"

Slightly tilted his head to the side, while Liam leaned forward, making them touch their lips. He began with a light touch, then both of them let the kiss grow deeper, more hungry. Theo put his hands behind Liam's neck to pull him closer, Liam put one hand on the ground, the other on the chest of the other, pushing it slowly until they found themselves stretched out on each other, the lips that still sought each other desperately.

  
"Liam ..." Theo sighed in the kiss, a sigh that brought different sensations, that even now that he was human, Liam was clearly able to perceive. Desire, fear, anxiety.

  
They had never gone beyond the kisses, in those three months of dating, they had let them become hungry, they had fallen asleep embraced together a million times, but never anything more. As much as they both felt desperately wanted it, something had stopped them every time. Perhaps because it was not simply a matter of sex, Peter had explained to them that for two wolves who chose themselves as mate, the intimate union was a crucial and decisive decision. Perhaps this was why they had always postponed. Above all Theo.

  
But now Liam knew what fear Theo had brought in those months, and was no longer willing to accept them. They would stay together, they would never get lost, Liam could not even imagine a situation where for some reason the deep feelings he felt for Theo could have disappeared. They would never leave. And he knew that Theo felt the same way.

  
"Theo ..." Liam moved a few inches away, the noses that were still touching, the eyes of the one stuck in those of the other "I want you ... _so much_ " Liam whispered, kissing him again.  
Theo moaned in the kiss, hands slipping from Liam's neck down his back to the edge of his t-shirt.  
"Liam ..." he repeated again in an almost warning whisper.  
"I do not want to wait any longer," Liam said, propping himself up on his hands to be able to lift his torso and head a few inches, his eyes still searching for Theo's. Then he smiled. "I love you ... and nothing and nobody will ever change this"  
Theo pulled him toward him, kissing him again. Then with a decisive move he reversed their positions, never parting from Liam's lips. "I love you too ... Liam, to death"  
They let their hands slide greedy along each other's bodies, Liam grabbed a strip of Theo's t-shirt and started to lift it. Theo separated from the kiss only to help him get rid of it. Then Liam rose from the ground, to do the same.  
They stayed like that, Theo sitting on Liam's lap, again united in a hungry kiss, until Liam pulled back, eyebrows frowned in an expression almost amused "And if someone comes?"

  
Theo looked at him for a moment, before pushing him back to the ground with a light push of his hands on his shoulders "That they'd watch us!" he commented, slinging back on Liam's lips, tilted in an amused laughter.  
In a short time they got rid of the rest of their clothes, remaining skin against skin. Theo took a moment to admire the boy beneath him with veiled eyes, making light kisses rain down on his lips and then on the jaw, on the neck, on his chest.  
Liam moved his fingers in Theo's hair, pulling his head back, eyes closed, whispering Theo's name between muffled moans. When Theo returned to look him in the eyes, the faces almost touching, he again joined their lips in a wet kiss.

  
"Theo ... do it ..." almost begged him. And he did it. Theo wed his fingers in Liam's, squeezing them tightly and pressing them against the ground beneath them, as he slid inside of him, first slowly, then harder and harder, their voices calling their names, in a whisper as in a prayer, the eyes, the lips that were sought, the tears that bathed Liam's face, while Theo wore his hands in Liam's hair caressing them gently, with the thumbs gently moving on his cheeks taking away the tears, before joining their lips again in a kiss.

"I love you so much"  
"I love you too..."  
When both reached their climax, they slipped into a hug, panting, and stood there, close to each other, aware of their proximity, aware that really nothing could ever separate them, under the starry sky, in that moonless night.

  
 

*

In the morning, it was the first rays of sunlight that woke Liam. He squinted his eyes trying to get used to the sight, and moving his head he met Theo's eyes, still hugging him, looking at him with a smile on his face. "Hey" he did.  
"Hey," Liam replied, smiling at him.  
"Mmh-mmh" someone took a few steps from them. The two jumped up to find Hayden in front with an amused smile. Fortunately they had at least the readiness to put on their pants. "You'll be glad to know that Scott called and they're all fine," she informed them.  
Liam exhaled, breathing a sigh of relief. "Good"  
"If you're ready, I'll take you back to the edge of the woods, I would not want you to get lost and end up wandering somewhere down the Utah." She laughed before turning around. "And get dress, for God's sake." Theo and Liam exchanged a single amused look before finishing to dress and follow Hayden.  
They walked for about an hour. "I think it could be good here, can you find your way back?"  
Theo looked around. "I think so, I can almost hear the traffic in the distance," he said, concentrated.  
"Fine," she looked at Liam, then looked doubtfully at Theo. "Will you rip my head off if I hug him to greet him?" she asked sarcastically.  
Theo rolled his eyes "Go ahead, if you really can not help it"  
Hayden hugged Liam "Be careful, please"  
"Okay, time out," Theo commented.  
Hayden looked at him carefully. "I do not think I'll hug you," she said  
"Good" But Hayden held out her hand, which Theo looked at with a mixture of curiosity and skepticism. It took a few seconds before tightening it. "Take care of Liam," she told him with a gesture.  
"Always"

Hayden smiled, waving to them as they turned away to the woods. She could clearly hear Liam's voice in the distance ask Theo "Hey, but did not we walk the first time any longer?" and Theo reply "I might have lost the first time" "You're joking? You made me walk for _hours_ " " _Twenty-two minutes Liam_ "  
Hayden could not help but laugh as she turned to go back to the camp.  
She felt the presence of someone with a few seconds delay. She heard the rustle of the trees, a step, the sound of a branch breaking and a snap. She turned to intercept the arrow that came straight to her, just in time to grab it on fly. She looked at it in surprise before looking up at her assailant. She looked at him only a second before sighing with a laugh.  
"You could hit me" she said to the boy in front of her. He lowered his crossbow.  
"You should be more responsive" he teased her, advancing towards her.  
"Where have you been? Valerie wanted to talk to you yesterday"  
"I had stuff to do"  
"Stuff?" Hayden's gaze slipped from his face, his hair and dark eyes, up to his arm, covered by the showy tattoo that had always fascinated her. She recalled the words of Liam. When she returned to Shawn's face, she saw that he was looking at where Theo and Liam had disappeared. "Those two..."  
"They're my friends, from Scott McCall's pack"  
Shawn looked back at her in surprise. "Really?"

"Yes, do you know him?"  
"Everyone knows Scott McCall, he's one of the main pawns in this war, right?" Shawn said, putting the crossbow back on his shoulders. Hayden kept examining him with curiosity. "Why were they here?" he asked vaguely.  
Shawn remembered his meeting with the two very well. And it had happened thousands of miles from there. "Why do you want to know it?" Hayden wanted to know more and more suspiciously.  
At Shawn's unsuspecting shrug, she decided to play open cards. "They are looking for some Peacemakers," she spat out, to be able to observe his reaction.  
And it was as she expected. Shawn was stunned, literally upset. "What?" he exclaimed, taking her by the shoulders.  
"They want to talk to them about an alliance and mass disasters ... they're headed to Canada, in the Rockies Mountains"  
Shawn was even more upset. Nobody could know such things. They were a secret handed down by their order. "They will get killed if they go there alone, without warning or without an invitation," he snapped.

  
There had to be a reason if those two knew the truth. Shawn reflected quickly. He could not allow them to be killed without knowing what they knew.  
Hayden looked at him. "Are you the hunter they met, are you one of them?" Hayden asked weakly. Shawn looked at her for a moment before nodding.  
Hayden sighed. "I have to stop them, I have to warn them, if ..." she began, shaking, making to go back.  
Shawn took her by the arm "Back to the camp-"  
"NO!"  
"Go back to the camp and get your stuff, we leave too, if they want to go to the Peacemakers, they will need a ride"

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED._


	22. Wave of wrath

The road ran quickly out of the windows of Theo's pickup. It was just past dawn. Theo, one hand on the steering wheel, the other clutched around a cup of coffee, slowly sipped the drink, moving his eyes from the road to the boy next to him. Liam was leaning against the seat, his face against the window, and sleeping soundly. They had just passed the sign that welcomed them in Oregon, when the telephone ring suddenly caused Liam to wake up, his head suddenly rising, his face alarmed before he remembered where he was and to associate the sudden noise with phone in his pocket.

  
Theo looked at him amused "Who is it?" he asked him.  
Liam frowned as he read the name "Stiles" and then looked at Theo, who rolled his eyes. Liam placed the phone on the dashboard before answering the video call. Stiles' face immediately appeared before them, smiling and lively as if it were not six o'clock in the morning. "Hey guys"  
"Hi Stiles," Liam said as he approached the lens.  
"What mopey faces," the boy commented.  
Theo rolled his eyes again "Not everyone is so energetic in the early morning," he commented. "what do we owe the pleasure..? " he asked him sarcastic  
"I would not call it exactly a pleasure, but-"  
"Stiles, cut it off," Liam interrupted immediately. Six o'clock in the morning was not exactly the time he wanted to watch his usual invective against Theo-he-betrayed-all-has-killed-Scott.  
"Okay okay, I need to talk to Theo"  
Theo frowned "To me?" he turned the phone slightly so as to have a better view  
"Yes, about a certain chimera created by the Doctors in the days when you arrived in Beacon Hills"  
Theo opened his eyes even wider. "I do not remember much of that period, and I certainly can not remember the name of all the chimeras I've seen dying since I was eight," he hesitated.  
"His name is David Harrington, he was about 15 years old, he was from New York and yet he died in Beacon Hills, so the Doctors must have brought him along with them," Stiles began. "Wait, I'll send you a picture." The image swayed as Stiles moved the phone to send them the picture. Liam leaned forward to open the message. The picture seemed taken from a photo album. Liam zoomed best on the boy's face.  
Theo looked at him in passing, shifting his gaze from the street to his cell phone. "Did you say he died in Beacon Hills?"  
"Yes, the date of death dates back to the end of September," Stiles answered  
"Why are you so interested?"  
"His brother is my current roommate, and is investigating the death of his family"  
"He killed his family?" Liam asked, shocked, looking back at the picture. Something in him was strangely familiar. Liam came up again, zooming in, the frowning expression "What's up Liam?"  
"I ... I think I've already seen him," he replied. Then he suddenly remembered. "He was with me and Hayden, the night the doctors kidnapped us ... Before Theo pulled us out, he was closed there with us"  
Theo opened his eyes wide as if remembering "Yes, I remember," he said.  
Stiles looked at him "Really?"  
"Yes, yes ... I remember, I had to wait for them to take him away before intervening, otherwise he would have recognized me" he reflected. " "The Doctors turned him into New York, he lost his mind during the transformation, and killed his whole family," Theo said slowly.  
_Not all_ , thought Stiles.  
"They thought it was the right one at last, it did not seem to reject the transformation, and they took him with us to Beacon Hills, so we moved there, it was Beacon Hills that the last phase of their plan was to take place, but ..."  
"It did not work" Stiles completed "He too rejected the transformation"  
Theo reflected for a moment. "Not entirely. Here, he did not completely reject the transformation, but it was ... out of control, unmanageable, most of the time, we can say that he was physically able to tolerate the mutation, but not mentally. "Theo explained" But ... they used his blood and his DNA to synthesize a serum that helped the metabolism of the new chimeras to manage the transformation ... That serum ... brought Corey and Hayden back to life, "he concluded.  
Liam looked at him, then looked at Stiles. "So that serum can help the chimeras?" Liam asked suddenly.  
"If they have a strong body and a clear mind to tolerate the transformation, it helps them not to reject the operation"  
Stiles leaned forward, now wide-eyed. "What if they inject it in unsuitable neo-chimeras?"  
Theo shook his head "It would have the opposite effect, it would get out of their mind"  
Stiles looked between the two "Please tell me that the Doctors did not keep those samples"  
"Of course they kept them, they were in their lab," said Theo as if it were an obvious thing.  
Liam understood where Stiles wanted to get. "Here's what they inject to the chimeras," he whispered.

Theo also seemed to understand. "Anyone who doing this, does not even have half the expertise that the doctors had, it's going randomly ... how it did not really matter ..." he snapped "if it's the Monroe, order the creation of Chimeras, then made them go crazy by injecting a whey that sends them out of their mind, as the subjects are not suitable "  
"-even the fact that they are attracted only by the smell of werewolves may be a consequence of that-" Stiles added interrupting him.  
"-and then she makes them kidnap for who knows what reason"  
"And she kills them," Stiles concluded. "We have an updated list of all the chimeras and most are all dead," he explained.  
"Why?" Liam said in shock  
"Yes, why?" Stiles repeats.

  
At that moment they heard footsteps outside the door of his room. Stiles looked alarmed behind him. "Ian is coming back, I will keep you updated, I will immediately report to Lydia and Scott," he said quickly. Then he seemed to remember something "Be careful tomorrow"  
"Tomorrow?"  
"Yes, tomorrow is marked on Lydia's paint, we do not know what will happen" For a moment Liam shuddered at the thought of what had happened last time, but nodded. "We'll meet you guys, be careful please-" Then he hung up.

  
Theo and Liam stood for a moment in silence, then turned to look at each other. "I really hope that the good morning can not be seen from the morning," commented Theo, then returning to his glass of coffee.

 

_*_

Alec yawned conspicuously, attracting Lisa's glare. "Sorry" he said then. Lisa rolled her eyes, before returning the binoculars to the eyes in the direction of the hunter's base. "What do you see?" asked Alec bored.  
"Trees, trees ... other trees" Then she turned to him, still with binoculars over her eyes. "And an idiot" Alec snatched the binoculars from her eyes, while she looked at him amusedly.  
"Enough, now it's my turn," he said, bringing it to his face.  
"Have fun," she said.  
"I see something," said Alec  
"Really?" she exclaimed hopefully.  
"A squirrel has just come down from a tree," he said seriously.  
Lisa gave him a slap on the head "Stop it is not fun, I remind you that we are on a mission"  
"It's been hours since we're standing outside looking at that door, no one came out," Alec said, looking at her with a snort. "I would like to be in New Orleans with Scott, or in South America with Peter, or ... I do not know where with Theo and Liam" he paused for a moment as he reflected "No, honestly, I would not want to be with Theo and Liam" then he corrected ironically.  
Lisa laughs before pointing to the direction of the shelter again. "Go back and look, if this bullshit made us lose the clue moment when all the Monroe army came out, I'll kill you." Alec obeyed with a smile.  
They remained silent for what seemed like an eternity, the only line of cicadas and owls to keep them company. Lisa was about to fall asleep when Alec's voice blew it up "Lisa, I see something"  
"I swear to you that if it's another squirrel, I'll throw you down from the tree"  
"-No, there is someone" Lisa ripped the binoculars from her hand and looked. There were three men in front of the bunker, next to them there were five black plastic bags lying on the ground.  
"Those are-?" Lisa choked.  
Alec shooting the binoculars "Are corpses?" he whispered in terror.  
He looked at Lisa. Alec looked back. The three hunters were moving the corpses outside the bunker. "What are they doing?" Alec asked upset.  
"I have not the slightest idea"

 

*

For the second day in a row, Theo found himself praying that the good morning could not be seen in the morning. As the first rays of sunlight tapped him on his face as he lay comfortably in the back of the pickup, Liam asleep beside him, Theo heard footsteps beside the pick-up a few yards behind them. Months spent sleeping in the pick-up in the past had accustomed him to the police who did not like, for some reason, boys who slept in the car.  
He sat up slowly "Yes, now we're leaving-" he said lazily almost instinctively, before turning to the bore of the day ... just to find a man in uniform pointing a gun at him. "What the fu-?"  
He did not have time to speak, shooting on his feet, that the man shot him in the stomach. Theo rolled with a moan to the ground, hitting the bottom of the pickup with a dull thud that would awaken the dead. Or at least Liam.  
The boy's eyes widened "What the hell-?" he looked first at Theo on the ground and then the sheriff who moved the rifle against him.  
"Liam, watch out," Theo moaned, taking a hand to the wound. Liam jumped at the man, grabbing the rifle.  
"Who are you?" he shouted. The man did not seem lucid at all. His eyes were wide open, a crazy expression on his face. With all the strength he had in his human body, he tried to keep his grip on the rifle so he could once again point it on Liam. Liam growled, his eyes glinting red, ripping the weapon from his hands. The man seemed about to jump on him, Liam gave him a shocked and confused look, before hitting him with the butt of his rifle, making him fall to the ground.  
Liam looked at him for a second, slumped them to the ground, then threw the rifle to the ground, turning to Theo, who meanwhile had sat down, his back against the edge of the pick-up, his face pale and sweaty, his hand pressed on his stomach, the blood coming down copiously.  
Liam jumped up next to him. "Quiet, it was not a wolfbane bullet " Theo mumbled. "But the bullet has remained inside, I can not heal"  
Liam ripped off his t-shirt, to better observe the wound. "You could just tell me if you want so badly see me naked again" Theo joked, weakly. Liam rolled his eyes "This is hardly the time. I can take it off, but it will hurt," Liam stammered, moving the gaze from the wound to Theo's pale face   
"Just do it"  
When Liam using his claws had removed the bullet, Theo sank to the bottom of the pickup with a groan, catching his breath, while the wound slowly healed. Liam sat down next to him, the shocked expression.  
Theo met his boyfriend's eyes, "Good morning," he whispered.  
Liam let out a chuckle, before looking at the man lying on the ground. "Who the hell do you think he is? A hunter?" he asked him.  
Theo finally managed to sit down and followed Liam's gaze. "I do not think so, I think it's a common sheriff"  
"Do all the sheriffs shoot teenagers sleeping in the car in the middle of nowhere?" Liam asked ironically.  
"It seemed out of mind," Theo noted.  
"I do not like it," Liam said  
"He smelled of rage, I can still feel it," said Theo, looking around.  
"I think it's not just from him." Liam looked in the distance toward the town that was visible a couple of miles from them. The two boys looked at each other "Could it have anything to do with the date?" Liam asked weakly  
"Let's find out," Theo said, taking the keys from his pocket and jumping off the pickup truck.  
"We leave him here?" Liam asked, imitating him.  
"He will be fine" Theo picked up the shotgun "Maybe it's better to leave him unarmed," he concluded, folding his weapon.

  
 

*

Nothing could prepare them for the scenario that presented itself before their eyes when Theo approached the entrance to the town. "What the hell is going on?" Liam exclaimed, jumping out of the car.  
There was smoke coming from real places in the village, there were people on the street, and a lot of shouting. The pair's eyes quickly passed by a group of boys who were jostling around the corner, two men fighting over a stupid parking lot at the edge of the road, at a furious woman hurling objects, clothes and frames from a window to a man under her in the street. At that moment a man in a yellow shirt and a tag with his own name pushed another out of a diner. "Go fuck on another side, dickhead!" he shouted, pushing him. He had time to turn around to return to the room with a bored snort, which the other threw himself at him with a blind fury, pushing him violently against the window. The window exploded under their weight, while someone shouted, customers fleeing from the room.  
"The world is going crazy," commented Theo. At that moment a police car arrived at sirens, pinned in the middle of the street. Two men in uniform came down quickly, pulling out their guns  
"Liam, let's get out of here," Theo whispered.  
"We can not leave like this," the other protested  
"Let them take care of all." Theo looked at the policemen. Unlike the previous colleague, they seemed lucid, and they were jostling the crowd, to keep them at bay. "This is their problem, there is nothing supernatural"  
"Nothing supernatural? To me this seems all but a normal thing" Liam whispered, while Theo pushed him into an alley away from the confusion.  
"Something is going on, it has to do with that stupid drawing," Theo said as they walked.  
"I'm beginning to think that those dates do not indicate mass disasters," Liam noted as they turned a corner. They were at the back of a shop, with low-volume music coming from inside.  
"Let's get supplies and let's go, we have to get to these damn Peacemakers if we want to understand something." Theo looked at him for a moment before entering the store. He had just taken a few steps when he stopped suddenly, on alert, and Liam ran into him. "What's up now?"  
"Do you smell it?" Theo asked cautiously.  
Liam sniffed the air. "Smell of blood" recorded. "A lot of blood"  
He moved, moving between the shelves, following his sense of smell. Theo imitated him. He checked the wing on the left while Liam took the one on the right. In the third row, Liam stopped abruptly before the scene before him.  
"Theo, better if you come here," Liam said in alarm. Lying in the middle of the lane, there was what was probably the owner of the store, in a lake of blood, glassy eyes, with clear signs of bites and scratches all over the body.  
"A werewolf," Theo whispered, approaching and bending over the lifeless man.  
"Please tell me there is not a out of mind werewolf about this town," Liam whimpered. Theo passed the body, and turned in the next lane. Then he opened his eyes. Liam followed him.  
There were three more corpses dead. "Apparently yes"

  
 

*

"I would say we can go back, it's almost dawn," Alec said, yawning, moving in the direction of Kira's place. Arrived there he stopped. Kira was not there. "Kira?" he called. No reply. "Kira?" he repeated more alarmedly.  
He took a step forward, until he felt someone blocking his neck from behind, tugging hard and cutting his breath. Alec gasped, trying to free himself by kicking his feet. "Wha-?"  
He could clearly smell his attacker. "Kira, what the hell are you doing?" mumbled Alec, becoming cyanotic, trying to take a breath and free himself from the grip.  
Kira gripped him tightly, her eyes orange, in a crazy expression. _Okay, an exceptional situation calls for exceptional measures._

"Sorry Kira," he whispered as he stuck his claws into the kitsune's arm.  
She moaned, loosening her grip, allowing Alec to wriggle free. The wolf turned to face her in shock. "What's wrong with you?" Kira uttered a sound like a growl, bringing her hand to her belt.  
Alec brought his hands forward backing away. "When I said it was cool that you were calling like a Death Note character, I did not mean that you had to drop so much in the part," he mumbled. Kira growled again "Okay, I'm shut up," he said, before turning his back and running away.  
He did not know what was going on, but he knew he had no hope for a fight against Kira. The most he could do was go back to the base from the others. Surely he could be faster than kitsune. Or at least he prayed that it was so.

  
 

*

Theo and Liam scanned the town for the aforementioned werewolf. If there really was something that triggered blind fury in people, they could not leave a werewolf roam free. They were almost out of the town, when Theo finally caught a slight smell. "Maybe we are," he whispered. "By this way"  
They ran for a few miles, up to an inhabited area on the outskirts. There were a dozen or so apartments. Liam and Theo looked around cautiously. The smell was stronger here, and mixed with the more acidic blood. Liam swallowed. And Theo jumped as one of the doors swung open and a woman stumbled out, her face covered in blood.  
Theo and Liam snapped at her, and Theo managed to support her before she fell. "Help ... I ... she ... she ... they're dead ... they're all dead ..." she mumbled upset.  
"Everything will be fine ... Where is it?" Theo asked him softly. The woman glanced in horror at the house she had just come out of before she fainted.  
"What do we do?" Liam asked, helping Theo to fix the woman against a wall in a hidden corner.  
"We try to get it back to itself," said Theo as if it were easy. The two cautiously crossed the threshold of the house, looking around. Liam looked away shocked when he saw a man, probably her husband, in a pool of blood on the kitchen floor.  
"Liam" Theo called him in a whisper when he entered the living room. Liam joined him, and the clear sound of desperate sobs reached him. There was another body on the ground, that of a boy of no more than 14 years, and a little girl was bending over him. He gave them her back and her body was shattered by sobs.  
"Hey it's all right, do not worry, we'll take you away from here, no one will hurt you," Liam said taking a step toward her. She shuddered as Liam still approached.  
"No Liam ..." Theo whispered in a warning tone as she turned to them, her face streaked with tears, her eyes an electric blue fixed on the claws on her hands.  
"What's happening to me?" he cried, trembling. Liam stopped suddenly, opening his eyes wide. That girl who was barely 9 years old was not a victim. She was the werewolf.  
"Oh my god," Liam whispered, backing away. The girl put her hands to her head, as if trying to fight something in her head, writing her temples with her own claws.  
"What happens?" She returned to look at her hands and clothes full of blood then the corpse at her feet "I ... was it me?"  
Theo took a step toward her. "Do not worry, everything will be fine, you can trust us" He held his hands up so that he did not think of him as a threat.  
"Who are you?" she screamed in tears.  
Theo moved even closer. "We are like you"  
" _What_?" she screamed even more upset.

Theo made his eyes sparkle "We are werewolves" From the girl's shocked expression, it was obvious that she did not even know what they were. She did not know she was. Liam could clearly feel that she was not a chimera, also because otherwise her eyes would not have been dyed blue. She was a real werewolf, and had probably been bitten for a few days. He had never heard of a werewolf who chose a little girl as a beta. Derek had explained to him that adolescents usually are preferred, because they had a body more suitable to resist the bite than that of an adult, and a mind stronger than that of a child.  
"I'm ... a monster ..." she mumbled even more upset. Theo knelt before her  
"No you're not, something was controlling you, you've just been bitten and you have not yet learned to control it, but you can learn, you're not a monster, you can decide how to use your powers, you just have to trust yourself" Theo in the most sweet and simple way he could find for a little girl.  
She shook her head in despair. "My father ... he abandoned me ... he ran away when he saw me ... he left me here ..."  
Liam swallowed behind Theo. But he took a few steps forward, kneeling beside the boy. "Hey I was scared when I was turned in. I could not control myself, I was terrified of hurting someone, and I was afraid people would consider me a monster"  
The girl looked at him. "And what did you do?"  
"Not all monsters do mostrous things, if you do not want to be a monster, you do not have to behave like that, you decide how you have to be, what to do depends on you"  
She looked at him, while Liam made his eyes sparkle, and her eyes slowly returned to being brown, and the claws withdrew into the hands. "My daddy ..." she said, another tear falling down her cheek  
"Go to him, show him you're still his daughter," Liam said, putting a hand on her shoulder. She nodded weakly.  
Theo and Liam looked at each other, a sad expression on their faces, as they got up, guiding the girl outside, making sure she did not see the man's body in the kitchen. "Do you know where to go?" Theo asked her.  
She nodded, wiping her tears. "Thanks," she whispered, before turning around.  
"Do you think it's wise to let her go alone?" Liam asked.  
Theo looked at him. "Two weeks to the full moon, the worst is over, we'll send someone to retrieve her when this story is over"  
Liam looked at him worriedly. He knew that this story would actually end in good or bad. And though he hoped everything was going well, he could not help thinking that in the bad it would really be the _very_ end.

  
 

*

Scott, Lydia, and Isaac sat quietly waiting in the hall, in front of a turned on TV, when Alec flung himself over the door breathless. The three looked at him worried, but he only mumbled "Help"  
At that moment Kira entered the room, her sword drawn, her eyes sparkling and her body enveloped in a demonic aura. Scott jumped up.  
"What the hell is going on?" Isaac snapped as Kira snapped against Scott. Scott dodged the blow by grabbing her by the wrist and turning her arm so as to bring it behind her back. With his other hand he disarmed her, and then turned her around, putting his eyes in hers. "Kira" called her. But nothing. He did not answer.  
"He does not respond to the call of her alpha ?!" Alec snapped, shocked.  
Kira screamed, trying to free herself from the grip, until Isaac spread it with a sharp blow on the head. Scott looked at him. "There was no other way"  
Lydia stepped forward. "What happened? I thought she 's got the control of the demon now!"  
"What is happening?" Maya's voice came pale entering the salon.  
Isaac turned to look at her. "No big deal, apparently it's a frequent thing," he said ironically. Scott's answer was interrupted from the beginning of the news.  
"-We immediately pass to the strange manifestation of violence that has hit many countries in the last hours" The five became attentive approaching the television. "Everywhere there have been explosions of rage, protests, fights, many degenerate into real uprisings, so far there are at least 2,000 dead and over 5,000 injured-"  
The group looked at each other in silence, then Lydia looked at Maya. "Is this what you were talking about? Would this be the second wave?" she asked her slowly. She nodded weakly.  
"But ... wave of what ?!" exclaimed Isaac, bewildered.  
"First there was despair, which caused all those suicides, now the rage, which causes violence" Lydia listed, eyes wide open.  
"Others will be coming," Maya whispered.  
Scott took a step toward her "Others _what_?"  
She looked up at the alpha. " _Other evils_ "

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED_

  
 


	23. Mutation

Lydia could not in any way recognize that place. Nothing was familiar. Wrapped only by her nightgown, her bare feet, she walked slowly through the narrow corridor in dim light, her left hand touching the wall, as if looking for a solid proof of her presence there. She closed her eyes for a moment, deeply inspiring, and then went on.  
She had learned to know her powers, she had learned to accept them, not to be overwhelmed or frightened. They would have led her where she had to go, where she was supposed to be.

 

An echo of a lament interrupted the silence. A few feet away from her, there was a door ajar, a dim light that illuminated a flash of corridor. Lydia came up, slowly reached out and opened the door.

 

Still that lament. A lament of pain and despair. Someone was suffering. Someone was _dying_.  
In front of Lydia there was an iron staircase. She descended slowly, step by step. When she reached the bottom , the moan of pain came to her ears clearly, and she turned to the source.

 

A boy was lying in the middle of the room.  
Crouched on the ground, his face full of blood, his body covered with wounds, his hands tied behind his back and same his feet . Lydia took a step, her eyes widening, the breath breaking in her throat when she recognized him. And she called him. She called him even though he could not hear her.

  
 

" _Theo_ "

*

Alec had just left the loft to go home, when he remembered Melissa's hospital shift. He thought about passing here for bringing her something for dinner and waiting for her. He did not really want to stay home alone, right now. Although lately the hunters seemed to have taken in some kind of mysterious project, and had not seen any more chimeras since Maya had routed them on the night of the eclipse, he did not feel at all safe. He was going on down the dark street when a car slowed to his side. "Alec"  
He turned suddenly. "Sheriff"  
He looked at him with an exasperated expression, the same as when a parent knows you did something wrong but also knows that it is useless to try and get you back "You should not go around by this time alone"  
"Ah um ... I'm not alone" Alec tried to improvise "There's Corey with me ... Somewhere. I do not know where" He put his hands in his pockets and rolled his eyes "Damn invisibility"  
The sheriff snorted before nodding at him. "Go up, I'll give you a ride"  
"Um, okay, I was going to Melissa actually," he hurried up.  
"fine, me too"  
A hiss in the neighborhood distracted him, and the wolf turned abruptly to look out the window. "Any problems?" the sheriff asked, watching his reaction.  
"I heard something" There was another hiss, and a few seconds later, with an explosion of glass, the rear window exploded into a thousand pieces. "Damn!" the sheriff swore, while Alec opened the door and came back out. Another hiss and another arrow hit the front wheel.  
The sheriff got out of the car, pulling out his gun. "Hunters," he murmured, looking at the arrow. Alec snorted and rolled his eyes. He had talked too early. At that moment, something came out of the bushes at full speed to limit the road. But it was not a hunter. It was a chimera.

  
 

*

Stiles had decided to tell the truth. _It's always better when they know,_ he once said to Liam and it was true. Ian deserved to know the truth about his family, about his brother, however painful it might be.  
So he sat on the bed waiting for the boy to return to his room. In the meantime he could not help being nervous, wriggling his fingers in his hands, licking his lips, and looking around frantically as if looking for inspiration on how to tell someone such a thing.  
Well at least Ian was not entirely foreign to the supernatural. It was already an half done work.  
When the boy inserted the key into the lock and opened the door, Stiles looked up at him. Ian stopped in the doorway, noting the other's gaze. "Everything okay?"  
"Hey ... co-could you come in? There's something I'd like to talk to you about." Ian nodded grimacing and sat on the bed in front of Stiles.  
"Everything okay?" he asked again questioningly. Stiles took a breath and spoke, after a few moments of silence. "Do you remember telling me that my surname seemed familiar to you?" he said slowly. Ian nodded. "I think you read it on the Beacon Hills police report, county of which my father is the sheriff ... and where they found your brother's body two years ago." Stiles looked at him for a reaction. Ian remained impassive except for a spark of understanding in his eyes. "Yeah, that's where I had already heard it"  
Then he started to get up. "I know who killed your brother, and I know who killed your family." Ian stopped halfway to take his seat back, and face Stiles. "... but you will not like it"  
"What do you know?" Ian asked sharply.  
"Two years ago they came to Beacon Hills, a group of scientists called themselves Dread Doctors, they were experimenting on the supernatural, their purpose was to create chimeras, creatures like werewolves, or wendigo, in a scientific way. But some of them were failed experiments, and they had to kill them, they killed your brother, and a friend of mine was a prisoner with him for some time before- "Stiles paused.

 

He preferred that Ian would get here by himself without explicitly saying that it was his brother who had killed their parents. Ian kept his eyes wide open. "What are you trying to tell me?" whispered. "That ... these scientists turned my brother ... into a monster ... and then they killed him because he was not doing well ?!" Stiles did not answer. Ian jumped up, walking around the room. "They killed my parents?" he asked then.  
"No," Stiles whispered after a moment of silence. "The chimeras, at least some of those I saw, had difficulty controlling each other - one of them killed his own father"  
Ian will bar even more eyes if possible. "Are you ... telling me that my brother ... killed my parents?"  
"I'm sorry" Ian threw himself back on the bed, and buried his head in his hands.  
Stiles left him a moment to metabolize it before continuing to speak. "Those scientists ... are dead, killed by their own creatures a few months later, but now someone has resumed their experiments and is using it to start a war"  
Ian looked up at him, not understanding anything. "A war? What war?"  
"A war against werewolves, against the supernatural, they are hunters, they are led by a woman named Tamora Monroe, she is creating these chimeras again, killing innocent boys, ruining their lives forever like they did with your brother ... because she wants to erase any trace of the supernatural that is in the world "  
Ian shook his head in shock. "How do you know all these things?"  
"Well ... I'm not a supernatural creature, if that's what you ask, but ... I fight with them"  
"Are you ... with werewolves?" Ian asked standing up again  
"They are my friends ... my pack ... We fought against the people who killed your brother, we saved some of the chimeras ..."  
"..but not my brother"  
"We've lost so many people over the years, but we've always done our best to save the situation and keep more people safe, and that's what we keep doing now." Stiles stood up too "You can come with me. fight with us, fight against hunters, and prevent others like your brother from dying like that "  
"... fight with werewolves?" he asked uncertainly. Stiles nodded. He looked at him for a moment. "I do not know, I have to think about it," he replied. Stiles nodded again.  
It was better than nothing. At least now he knew that were not the werewolves responsible for the death of his parents and his brother. "As you please" he said only "I will return to Beacon Hills in a days, if you want to come with me, you will be welcome" he put a hand on his shoulder before leaving the room.

  
 

*

"Stay down." As Alec obeyed the shots rang out in his head.

He looked up to meet the chimera, which had retreated because of the bullets, but it was still standing. When the creature made to throw against the sheriff, Alec intercepted her by plating it. "Go away sheriff" he screamed, involved in a melee with the chimera.  
"Forget it," he mumbled, holding the pistol firmly aimed at the two. If only he could take aim well, aim in the head ... she would have no chance of healing. He knew it well. But Alec was too close. He could not risk hitting him. "Alec, try to immobilize her"  
Alec dodged a fist, then a lurched blow "It seems easy," he commented ironically, as he hurled a right hook, only to be blocked. The chimera's grip tightened around his fist, and Alec could feel the bones go to pieces, while with a moan, he lost his knees feeling falling to the ground. The chimera growled, his left hand still around the boy's fist, she raised his right hand in a quick move, leaving a large slash on the wolf's chest. Alec fell to the ground with another moan, while the chimera turned to the sheriff, weighing the situation, as if deciding whether to attack him or not.  
The sheriff gasped, his grip on the gun even stronger. Alec, with a cry of pain, wrapped his legs around those of the chimera, tugging it to make it fall, then with a quick gesture immobilized her hands. "Shoot!" And the sheriff shot.  
The chimera resumed the human aspect, and Alec stood looking at the lifeless body beneath him, his face stained by the bloodshed of the pistol shot, gasping, while his eyes turned from yellow to brown. "We can not ... save everyone ..." he said only.

  
 

*

"Well, Liam, welcome to Canada," Theo said, with an excessive emphasis on his voice.  
"Wow," Liam said. "It seems .. really another world.I could almost feel .. a shiver .. as we crossed the border," he then said sarcastically. Theo laughed, looking at him for a moment before returning to look at the street.  
"We absolutely have to stop at some hotel today, I need a shower, we look like we came out of a horror movie," Liam said after a few minutes of pleasant silence.  
"Yeah, look for one nearby," Theo said. "We also have to buy a map of the area, tomorrow morning we will leave for the Rockies Mountains"  
"Are we there now, right?" Liam asked.  
"Yes, this is the area, but ... from now on we have no clue"  
Liam sighed worriedly, when he heard the phone vibrate in his pocket. He pulled it out. It was a message, and it was from Lydia. Already that did not bode well, and its content even more.

  
_"Be careful"_

  
 

_*_

"How is Alec?" Nolan asked as he and Lisa entered the loft. Scott turned to look at him. "He has not regained consciousness yet"  
Lisa approached the sofa on which the friend was lying. She looked at him bewildered before turning to Scott. " has he not healed yet?!"  
"How is it possible?" exclaimed Nolan, approaching.  
"We do not know, I tried to trigger the healing, but ..."  
"What?"  
"To trigger healing, the pain must be triggered, and when I did it, that was not healed either." Nolan and Lisa looked around at the broken right arm. "I also tried to absorb it, but nothing happened the same"  
"It's not possible ... Maybe ... the wound was poisoned?" Lisa suggested.  
"Deaton is working on it, he will let us know as soon as he has the results of the analysis"  
"We already know where to find answers!" exclaimed Nolan. "If they did something to the chimera because it poisoned Alec, they know how to cure it"  
"But they will not tell us," said Isaac's voice, who was just entering the room "We're at war, they want to kill us, that's what they do, they've failed in a direct fight in the past, they know it's not with forces that they can kill us ... For how many weapons or crossbows or thrillers they have, we are stronger, We can heal ... They are looking for other ways to annihilate us. Do you know what a bacteriological war is? No? Well, we're in it "

  
 

*

When Ian entered the arms shop, he earned the glare from the large tattooed owner who stood behind the counter. "What do you want, brat?"  
Ian approached the counter, ignoring the aggressive attitude of the man. "I'm looking for a person"  
"I sell weapons, if you have not noticed"  
"Yes, and I know you sell them over the counter, and you recently made a lot of money with some big customer"  
"What do you want?"  
"I'm looking for a certain Monroe, I'm sure you know her"  
"Why are you so sure that I know who this woman is?" he asked him, supporting his gaze.  
"Sell weapons, weapons supply an army, and an army wins a war, I'm sure you know what I'm talking about" He did not answer. "Give her a message, _my name is Ian Harrington, and I have some information for you._ " With that, with a final grimace at the man, he left.  
The man stood for a moment, then he made sure he was alone. He picked up the phone and dialed a number. "Boss?"  
"What do you want, Ryan? You know you do not have to bother me-" Monroe's voice was on the phone.  
"I just wanted to inform you that today someone has been looking for you here, a stupid brat"  
"A member of Scott McCall's pack?"  
"No, ma'am, or at least it did not correspond to any signage photos, he said his name was Ian Harrington, and to have some information for you ... Ah ... I noticed the FBI bedge in his pocket"  
"Harrington did you say?" said the voice of Monroe " _Interesting_ "

  
 

*

"Can you explain why you dragged me here?" asked Corey, looking at Lisa, crouched on the ground next to him.  
"Alec is dying, and I'm not going to let it happen, and you?" she said it with irritation.  
"Neither I, what do you think! But it is not in this way that we will solve the situation, what do you think will change if we enter it now?" Corey tried to make her think, her voice in a worried whisper.  
Nobody knew they were there, they were disobeying Scott's orders. "I want to find out what they poisoned him in with. If Deaton knew, he could prepare an antidote," Lisa said insistently. "They use chimeras, and we know that they carry corpses somewhere, Alec and I saw them, so we follow them and see where they go," she added firmly.  
"It will not go well," Corey said, turning back to the bunker's entrance.

  
They had to wait three hours before the door opened. Three men emerged from the subsoil carrying two large black bags. "Damn how much they weigh" they heard one complain. "Shut up and do what you have to do," another replied. "Take them to the meeting point," ordered the eldest. "Be careful"  
Lisa and Corey exchanged a knowing look, while Corey took her hand, passing the invisibility, preparing to follow the two men. It was time to find out the truth about the chimeras.

  
 

*

"Hey Ian" A guy from his group knocked on the door of his room, before opening it. He glanced at him, finding him on the bed, the laptop in his lap. "Someone left this envelope for you in the office," he said, showing him a letter envelope.  
Ian looked at him curiously as he pulled it with a precise gesture. The envelope landed close to his feet. "Maybe you have a secret admirer," he then gave him a mischievous glance, before turning and closing the door behind him.  
Ian took the envelope and turned it over in his hands a couple of times before opening it. Inside there was only one sheet, rectangular, with a short message written in an elegant handwriting. "If you're interested tonight I'll be where you looked for me, TM"

  
 

*

They were locked in a van. In a van full of chimeras corpses. Nobody knew where they were. Neither did they know where they were going. Yet Corey was sure that it could certainly go worse than that.  
When the van stopped, he made sure to tighten his grip on his friend's hand and flattened himself even more against the back wall, waiting for the two hunters to clear the van to get out.  
They were in an old abandoned factory. Or at least it was what it looked like. Lisa pulled out her cell phone, taking a faded and worn photo of the building. The two men dragged the sacks over the entrance gate, then one of them slid something, maybe a card, under the door. A few minutes later that was turned out and the door opened.  
The two entered, hoisting the bodies on their shoulders again with difficulty. Corey and Lisa hurried to follow them. "Well we have two more", the man said to the one who had opened the door for them. He wore a long white coat and had glasses on his nose. One of the hunters pointed to the sack on the right "We are confident about that, our scientist says it worked"  
"Well I will do other tests, if so, they will all be ready in a few days"  
"The commander will be happy to hear it"

  
Corey and Lisa sat in silence watching the scene, looking around. They were in a laboratory. There were computers and hospital beds, rows and rows of test tubes and syringes. Corey looked around, catching something familiar. "What's up?" Lisa asked miming the words with her lips.  
Corey inhaled trying to connect the sense of smell to the memory. "I feel ... Theo's smell " Lisa gave him a shocked expression.

  
 

"-bring these bodies into the cold room," one of the hunters was saying. The doctor nodded. "Follow me." Lisa and Corey moved to the computers in the hall as the three of them walked out the door. Corey approached the main computer, while Lisa pulled out the phone, taking pictures around her.  
"Hey, look," Lisa whispered, taking a test tube from the shelf. Corey turned, noticing the dark red liquid that Lisa pointed to. "Here is written Theo Reaken," she read bewildered. Corey wide-opened his eyes, returning to the computer.  
"There's a whole card on Theo's blood" Lisa approached, first taking a picture of the tube and then the computer screen.  
"That's why you could smell him" Lisa sensed.  
"What are they doing with Theo's blood? How do they have it?" Lisa whispered even more confused.  
"I do not know, but we have to get out of here," Corey whispered, looking at her.  
Lisa selected the photos and then looked up suddenly, catching something. "What is this smell?" she whispered, looking to the right to the left. Suddenly her vision clouded her for a moment  
"What's happenin?" Corey felt his own muffled voice, as if in the distance. "Fuck ... soporific gas," he whispered, leaning against the wall as he felt himself fall.  
Lisa gasped, looking at the phone in front of her, the hold weakening on it as she slid down the wall. In a sleep-wake state she looked at the selected photos to send them to the last recent chat. Nolan's. Then it was the darkness.

  
 

*

When that evening Ian approached the arms shop, he was not surprised to find the place still open. He slipped inside, looking back and forth across the street, and closing the door behind him. The big man of the last time greeted him with a gesture, pointing to the back with his thumb, as he came out from behind the counter and approached the door, locking it and turning the sign 'closed' out. Ian watched his movements cautiously before heading for the indicated spot.  
He went down the stairs to the basement. A damp room, with constipated shelves of weapons, dim light. Leaning against the wall was a rough desk, and sitting on it, a dark-skinned woman of no more than thirty. "You must be Ian," Monroe said.  
He nodded. "The famous Monroe?" he said in turn.  
"Am I famous?" she asked, raising her eyebrows. "Who told you about me?"  
Ian hesitated just a moment before answering "A certain Stilinski" She seemed to weigh his words "What do you want? I seemed to have heard that you had some ... information? "  
Ian took a step toward her "I want them to disappear" he said "I want everything related to the supernatural to disappear, it was the one that caused the death of my whole family"  
Monroe looked at him carefully. He knew that boy was a friend of a member of McCall's pack. Maybe he could use him. "Then I think there is ... something you can do for me"

  
 

*

When Theo came out of the shower, wearing only his sweatpants, and passing a towel through his damp hair, he found Liam already lying on the bed, facing his side staring out the window, the newly bought map of the area abandoned at his feet . Liam turned his head slightly when he felt the bed fall under the weight of Theo who slipped next to him, girdling his waist with one arm and kissing his neck, before asking "Everything okay?"  
"Mmh-mmh" Liam said slipping more 'in the embrace. "You know, some days I feel like a unnatural person," he added a few seconds later.  
"Only some days?" Theo teased him, earning an elbow. "Ouch-" then he laughed. "What do you mean?" he asked, returning seriously.  
"Well, it's that I feel so good here with you, I feel so calm, that sometimes I forget about the war, I forget all the trouble ... I even forget that there are less than two fucking months at the end of the world. and I'm feeling a little guilty, feeling so happy at a time like this. "Liam closed his eyes, inspiring, while Theo left two more kisses on his neck.  
"Liam, I do not know what will happen in two months - I have not even the slightest idea of what will happen tomorrow-" Theo began, propping himself up on his elbow to look at the other who had tilted his head towards him, stuck his eyes in those of his boyfriend "but if the world is about to end, then all I want the most is to spend my last days with you" Liam smiled at him while Theo lightly kissed his lips. "But I would prefer it not to end, so between a kiss and the other, while I enjoy my last time with you, lets try to find a way to survive, ok?" he then added sarcastically.  
Liam laughed. "Yeah, it seems like a good plan" Then he pulled back to Theo by kissing him with more passion. At that moment the phone rang.

  
 

*

"It does not bode well," Scott commented when Nolan showed him the pictures Lisa had sent him.  
"She does not answer my calls"  
"Not even Corey answers, it's hours I try," added Mason agitated.  
Kira turned to Nolan, while Isaac turned to Lydia. Both shook their heads. "I do not feel anything," she whispered, taking Nolan's cell phone and scrolling through the photos.  
"At least we know where they are," Kira said  
"We will organize a recovery mission," Scott said.  
"Look," Lydia interrupted. "On this sample is Theo's name, and there's a lot of data about him"  
"What are they doing?" "How did they get it?"  
"It probably dates back to when Liam and Theo were taken prisoner on their way to New Mexico," Scott said.  
Lydia opened her eyes, thinking back to the dream. "In an underground?"  
"Yes, they were prisoners in a basement, Theo was separated from Liam, he was very bad when we found him"  
Lydia concentrated. In the dream Theo was in a basement, he was hurt and did not heal. Probably, it was a vision of the past. Which nevertheless was important. And those photos in front of them was a proof.  
"Lydia what are you doing?"

 

"Call Theo," she said, placing the phone in a video call on the table and sitting in front of it. The pack gathered around, while Theo's face appeared on the screen "Hey Lydia" He noticed the whole pack behind her "Everything okay?" he added alarmed as Liam appeared behind him.  
"Theo, concentrate, it's important you remember-" Theo frowned at the words of the banshee "-when you and Liam were taken prisoner by the hunters, did they do something to you? Did they ... take your blood?"  
Theo frowned even more if possible. "It may be - I do not know, I was quite out of the game at the time. Why do you ask, What makes you think?"  
"They have samples of what your blood looks like in their lab, and they have endless data about you" Theo's eyes widened  
"How? What are they doing?" Liam exclaimed behind him. Mason took a quick look from Alec to Lydia, putting two and two together.  
"Chimeras are not just weapons," he whispered. "They are guinea pigs"  
Isaac looked at him "I'm not understanding anything, could you explain it to us too?" he said sarcastic.  
"They have Theo's data when it was a chimera, thanks to the Doctor's research, and they have human Theo data, and they compared them to find out what triggered the mutation," Lydia whispered.  
"The mutation?" Scott repeated.  
"Yes ... if it was possible to create a supernatural creature from a human being, then the reverse process is possible too," Mason continued.  
"... They are looking for ways to destroy us all at the root, a virus that destroys the supernatural gene," the banshee concluded.  
Everyone turned to Alec. "you mean ... that's why ... that Alec can not heal?"  
"What, what does it mean, what happened to Alec?" Liam snapped.  
"We have to get our hands on that poison," Nolan muttered.  
"If the previous chimeras died while testing the virus on them, the ones that will come from now on will be weapons aimed at spreading it," Theo said, eyes wide open with concern. "They will annihilate us all"

 

*

When Ian came back that night, he found Stiles still awake, lying on the bed. "Hey" greeted him.  
Ian sat down on the bed and looked at him before speaking. "I decided to join you ... join all of you," he said.  
Stiles imitated him standing up "Really?"  
Ian nodded. "So ... will you take me to Beacon Hills?" he asked "To your pack?"  
Stiles nodded in turn. "If you want, yes"  
"I want ..." he whispered. " _'m lookin forward_ "

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	24. Wave of disease

Corey could not remember where he was. He felt the body lying against something cold. Something hot pressed against his wrists, and he felt a sharp pain in his head, which left his vision clouded. He could still feel the faint smell of Theo's blood in his nostrils, and faint voices and moans in the distance, while the world around him slowly began to focus, slowly regaining lucidity.

 

_They had followed the hunters. He and Lisa. They had discovered they were experimenting with Theo's blood. They did experiments on chimeras. They created them to kill, and then they killed them to use them as guinea pigs. They had caught them. They were prisoners._

  
 

Corey's eyes widened. He was tied to the ground to a metal tube, with what was surely a yellow wolfbane, according to the pain in his wrists. Lisa was lying on a hospital bed a few feet away from him. She was awake, and her eyes met Corey's in a desperate expression. Before those of the boy moved on the wire that led from Lisa's arm to a drip, with an intense red liquid inside.

  
 

_They were prisoners. And now they were the guinea pigs._

  
 

_*_

"What happened to everyone?" Liam asked in a whisper, while he and Theo were walking through a silent town on the valley at the bottom of the mountain, the sun set long ago. Theo looked around. A hurricane also seemed to pass there. There were destroyed shop windows and cars, overturned bar tables and trash everywhere.  
"I have no idea, and I'm afraid to find out," Theo whispered in response, then approached the entrance to a supermarket, which looked like it had been looted.  
"It's getting worse, whatever it is, it's getting worse. Something affects people in a negative way, " Liam muttered, following the boy inside the room. "First all those suicides, and now all this violence"  
"Whatever it is, I think it relies on people's repressed emotions, which is why not everyone has been influenced by it," Theo said, looking at him while he was collecting some food from the shelves. "You are fine?" he asked him then.  
Liam nodded. "I thought about it too, you know- If something triggers anger, I should have been affected it, but I guess ... it's probably because you're with me." Theo nodded more quietly. "You have no idea what it could be?" Liam then asked.  
Theo shook his head completely confused "There are creatures that sow fear, that sow violence, creatures that sow discord ... but no one could ever have such a wide range of action. Whatever it is, it affects indiscriminately and at the same time every part of the world. It's something ....- "Theo paused in bewilderment.  
Liam sighed deeply. "Well we just have to hope to find these PEacemakers, before the world goes completely in pieces," he muttered.  
"It's already in pieces," commented Theo, looking at the desolate view around him. He sighed, throwing himself on the ground. "We will rest here for tonight, tomorrow we will begin to scour the mountains"  
Liam nodded, imitating him. He settled next to Theo, his back against the shelves, watching the boy who opened a packet of chips, taking one before handing it to the other. "The champions' meal," Liam commented, taking one in turn.  
Theo laughed. "When all this is over, I'll take you out for dinner"  
“I'm looking forward"

  
 

*

"What's happening to him?" Malia whispered kneeling beside Alec, looking anxiously at Melissa, who was carefully working on the young wolf.  
That morning, she had come back to the base, where Scott had updated her with developments from the day before. "I do not know what they injected him, but that's not what's killing him," she said. Lydia and Scott looked up at her. "It's the wounds, the claws of that chimera had to be soaked in poison, it can not heal and they're killing it." Melissa had put on her arm and treated her wounds as much as she could. "Whatever it is is nullifying his healing powers," she concluded gravely.  
"It's true then," Lydia whispered. "They found a way to erase the supernatural gene"  
Malia looked at her with wide eyes. "You mean he's losing his powers?" she snapped, the desperate look that went from Scott to the banshee.  
"Is there nothing we can do to heal him?" Scott asked his mother.  
She gave a small nod. "I can try the nine herbs, they have healed Chris and Peter from worse wounds"  
"Well then let's do it," Malia exclaimed.  
"This will not give him his powers back," she continued, looking back at Alec's sweaty face, distorted by the pain, who lay unconsciously on the couch.  
"First we think about saving his life, then we'll take his powers back," Scott commented.  
"Well, Malia, help me take him to another room, he needs peace, and here he will be too crowded in a while." Malia obeyed, while Scott and Lydia sat on the couch.  
Lydia clasped a shoulder to his friend, who turned to look at her. "Everything will be fine, we'll find a way to get out of it," she whispered softly.  
Scott sighed in pain. "What's new on Corey and Lisa?"  
"Nolan and Mason are trying to track down that abandoned factory," she replied.  
"The others?"  
"Kira, Isaac and Maya are trying to make sense of what Maya said yesterday"  
"... about these _evils_ that would come in waves?" Lydia did not answer "What's going on?" Scott asked loudly, to no one in particular.

  
"I would like to know that too, I disappear from circulation for a few months and you do not do anything but make a mess after the other", commented a familiar voice on the threshold.  
Lydia and Scott turned to Stiles, standing with a smile on his face.  
"Stiles!" Lydia exclaimed, before throwing herself into his arms. Scott smiled reaching them and hugging his best friend in a big hug. "You're early"  
"Yes, I thought to reach you as soon as possible"  
"It's nice to have you back here"  
"It's good to be here again," he said, patting Scott on the shoulder and then leaving a slight kiss on Lydia's lips.  
A sound of footsteps behind them distracted them and made them turn. "Ah guys, he-" Stiles made room for Ian "He's Ian, I've already talked you about him." Ian gave a weak smile to the two.  
Scott held out his hand "I am Scott, she is Lydia"  
"Nice to meet you"  
Stiles looked back at the two "So what happened again?"  
The smile slowly disappeared from Scott's face "Nothing good, we are in serious trouble, dude"  
"How serious about a ladder from Peter to the Beast, from Oni to Nogitsune to Dread Doctor?" Stiles asked with a groan.  
Scott snorted. "All together"  
"Great"

  
 

*

Theo woke up with a start. He looked around alarmed, unable to identify the sense of danger. He looked at Liam asleep on his shoulder and shook him lightly. A few seconds and also Liam opened his eyes, imitating his expression. "What happens?"  
Theo beckoned to lower his voice, "I think someone is here," he whispered. He stood up, imitated by Liam.  
Theo waved him off, pointing to one ear. Liam nodded, moving to the left, while Theo moved slowly to the right. Liam distinctly saw someone darting from one lane to the next. Whoever it was was not the maximum of discretion.

  
Theo heard a noise of something rolling on the ground, and approached he felt a vaguely familiar smell, even if difficult to frame. Anyone was a few meters away from him. A little further on he could clearly perceive Liam's presence.

  
Liam also noticed it. With a leap he jumped from one lane to the other to catch their pursuer by surprise. And he turned to face him with fangs and unsheathed claws. However, the latter responded with a shrill and terrified cry, which caused Liam to back up by returning to normal immediately, with a bewildered expression.

  
Two seconds short Theo had reached him running. He too wide-opened his eyes to the sight. "But you ..." Theo muttered.  
"She's not-?" Liam said, pointing at her.  
"My name is Grace," the girl whispered, looking at them from below.  
"What are you doin' here?!" Liam exclaimed. "You had to go back to your dad days ago"  
She looked down, with a sad expression on her face. He seemed to be about to cry. Theo and Liam looked at each other in terror as if wondering what to do.  
Theo leaned in front of her "Hey, it's all right, how did you get here?" There were several kilometers between the city where they had met her and days had passed  
"I followed you," she answered simply.  
Theo and Liam looked at each other, bewildered "Why did you follow us?"  
"I could not come back to _him_ ," she whispered weakly. "I did not know what to do, I did not know where to go"  
"Okay, calm down" Theo led her to their small makeshift camp in the middle of the supermarket and sat her down on a blanket. Then he handed her water and food "Hold, take, rest a little, you will be exhausted" She nodded obeying.  
Theo took Liam by the arm and pulled him away. "What are we doing with her?" He blurted  
"How the hell did she stay behind us without we realizing it?" Liam said almost indignantly.  
"You tell me, what kind of alpha are you?" Theo teased him ironically.  
"Well anyway - what are we doing? We can not leave her here alone"  
"We can not even take her to a group of fanatical hunters who shoot at sight against anyone with blue eyes," the other replied with a note of sarcasm.  
"She's just a child," Liam protested  
"It does not matter, those people do not care"  
Liam was about to reply when Grace's voice interrupted him. "Do not leave me here, please, take me with you, I do not want to be alone, I'm scared when I'm alone, I'm afraid of hurting people, but the other time you managed to stop that thing-" she stammered, looking at them with shining, pleading eyes. "I will not bother you"  
Liam and Theo looked at each other again. Then Theo sighed. "Okay, you'd follow ys anyway, would not you?"  
She smiled, and then went back to sitting happy. "Heck, years spent fighting with the most evil creatures and we were defeated by a little girl," Liam said.  
Theo looked at him. "She looked like you when you pout until you get what you want," he said thoughtfully.  
  
  
"Why did you punch your friend?" asked Grace, curious to Liam, as she sat next to her.  
"Because he deserved it"

  
 

*

"What's new guys?" asked Scott, while Isaac, Kira and Maya crossed the threshold. Kira shook her head disconsolately, before noticing Stiles. "Stiles!"  
"Kira, how nice to see you again!" The two hugged each other, and then Stiles focused on Isaac.  
"You're no longer skin and bones," Isaac commented, hugging him.  
"And you have not stopped wearing horrible scarves out of season," Stiles commented.  
"But you have not lost your sarcasm"  
"Never" Then he turned to Maya, who was laughing, to introduce himself. And in turn he introduced to newcomers Ian, who was sitting in a corner of the sofa.  
"How is Alec?" Kira whispered.  
"My mother is working on something," Scott muttered.  
"And Corey and Lisa?"  
"Nolan and Mason are coming, I think they found some useful clues," Lydia replied, as Stiles came back next to her, putting an arm around her shoulders.  
Malia, meanwhile, gave a painful sigh, turning to look at the drawing still resting on the canvas at one corner of the room. She approached to touch the writing. "Today is the day of the third wave," she whispered.  
Maya looked up at her. Then he moved his eyes to his wrist, where the number 52 was gleaming well. "Are you okay?" Isaac asked, taking her hand. She nodded "Yes, I was ... just thinking"  
At that moment the door opened and Mason and Nolan went gasping for the ride. "Then?" Lydia urged them.  
"Found, it's an abandoned factory, in disuse for years, just outside the county of Beacon," said Mason.  
"Then let's go?" Nolan urged them.  
"Wait" Scott called him back "I know you're worried, I'm too, but going blindly there, without a plan, will not help us save them, we have to be cautious, they have a weapon in their hands worse than any gun or rifle, a weapon capable of annihilating us all completely "  
Nolan swallowed. "What if it's late?"  
"You would be the first to know," Kira assured him.  
"We need a plan right away, and we'll do it tomorrow," Scott decided, as everyone nodded.  
"And we must retrieve a sample of that poison," said Mason, turning to the door from which Alec's moans of pain were coming.

 

  
Ian watched them circle around the table, and pulled out his cell phone. _Tomorrow they will attack a factory abandoned outside Beacon to save two of their friends._ And he sent it.

  
 

*

Liam was sitting on the sidewalk watching Theo and Grace in front of him, quietly in the middle of the street. In the meantime there was no one who could see them. It was almost lunchtime and it was a crazy heat. He took a chip from the package and returned to watch the scene. "You have to relax, it must come naturally to you," Theo was saying to the girl. And he snapped his claws to show her how easy it was.  
"I can not," she whimpered.  
"You'll learn, you just have to be patient," Liam said, to reassure her. He could feel her frustration from where he was. Then he stood up. "Actually it depends a lot on your mood. I first times turned when I was angry or scared, then when you learn to control emotions, you can also better control the transformation"  
"How do you do?"  
"You must find an anchor ... something that binds you to your human being, and that allows you to transform yourself at will and according to your will"  
"An anchor ..?" She paused to think, "Like something important that you would not do harm to even if you are a wolf out of its mind?" she suggested.  
"Yes, something that reminds you that you're not a monster," added Theo.  
She seemed to reflect. "Can I try again?" Theo nodded, stepping back. She closed her eyes concentrated. "I'm not a monster, I'm not a monster, I do not do horrible things, I decide ..." she whispered between her teeth, in a voice so low that even Theo and Liam could hardly hear her.  
It was at that moment that her claws snapped. She looked at them in amazement. "I got it!" She exulted. Then she withdrew them with a gesture.  
"You were incredible," Liam complimented.  
"How did you do? What were you thinking?" Theo asked her with a smile.  
Grace looked up at them with a wide smile. "You two, you told me I'm not a monster"

  
 

*

"Why it does not work?" asked Scott with wide eyes.  
Melissa shook her head. "I do not understand, they should have already taken effect at this hour." The woman bent over Alec to feel his forehead. "He burns. He's running out of time." Melissa exchanged a pained look with Scott. "Something blocks the effect of the nine herbs," he continued.  
"Is this poison so powerful?" exclaimed Scott more and more upset.  
"I do not think it's that-"  
"-I believe it is an effect of the third wave" Maya spoke up from the threshold. The two turned to look at her. "Come and see," she continued, making a sign to follow her.  
The others were in front of the TV, where the news was again an extraordinary service. It showed scenes, interviews ... of epidemics, waves of illness and diseases that had hit the world in the last hours. "Desperation, anger ... and now the disease," Lydia whispered.  
"Is this what prevents Alec from healing?" mumbled Nolan.  
"How did you know?" Isaac whispered to Maya. She did not answer, just looked at him. "Who you really are?"  
She sighed "I do not know, but ... I often have a dream ..." she began. Isaac urged her to continue. "There's a perfect world, people are happy, they're fine, they're good ... then all of a sudden evil enters in their lives: anger, hatred, war, sickness, death ... And I'm there to watch, and I feel like I want to do something, but I do not know- I can't- "Maya snorted with annoyance, frustrated at not being able to put the pieces together.  
Isaac took her hand gently again. "We'll get there, everything will be fine"  
She looked at him smiling, but then she went back to look at the door beyond which Alec lay "But we'll get there in time to save him?"

  
*

  
 

Taken a few supplies, Theo and Liam loaded their backpacks on their shoulders and set out to leave for the woods, followed closely by the little Grace. It was afternoon, and from lunchtime, Grace, a few steps behind them, had not stopped for a moment to make her claws out, amused. Liam turned to look at her with a smile, and then turned to Theo. "She seems to have fun"  
"Wait till I teach her to turn into a wolf," Theo chuckled. Liam could not help but feel a strange heat in his chest at the allusion that Grace stayed with them.

  
Grace on the other hand, now, had stopped playing with his claws, and watched the two guys walk talking thickly in front of her. She stood staring at them for a few minutes before speaking. "What's your important thing?" she then asked suddenly.  
Theo and Liam stopped abruptly, turning to look at her. "What do you mean?" Liam asked, confused.  
"The important thing ..." she insisted "The one you would not hurt even when you're out" tried to explain naively.  
Theo looked at Liam with a smile "You mean the anchor?"  
"Yes that one!" she then exclaimed with a smile when the two understood. "What's yours?" she asked curiously.  
"Liam is mine," Theo said slowly.  
"And Theo is mine"  
She looked at them intensely almost astonished "So you tell each other that you are not monsters?"  
Theo laughed "Something like that" Liam chuckled too, turning to meet the other's eyes, with a loving look on his face.  
Grace continued to look at them curiously. "Do you two also do that thing with the mouth that mums and dads do?" she asked even more brazenly.  
Liam laughed "Thing with the mouth?" he repeated.  
"Yes, my mom said that people who love each other do it"  
Theo and Liam looked back at each other amused. "Yes, we do it too, but not before you," replied Theo with an amused grin.  
"Why? I want to see it"  
"When you're older," commented Theo. "Come on" he started to turn around and resume the walk.  
Grace toddled behind them. "So you too are a mum and dad?" The two petrified instantly, looking back at the naïve look of the child.  
"Not really-" Liam began, but Theo interrupted him with an amused smile "And lets hear hear- who of us is mum and who's dad?"  
Grace seemed to reflect thoughtfully. "Well Theo is necessarily the dad, because he is strong"  
"Hey - I'm strong too," protested Liam, indignant. Next to him, Theo burst out laughing.  
"Yes, but first when you pouted and you did not talk to Theo until he brought you ice cream, you looked more like a mom"  
At that point, Liam was outraged, and Theo was practically rolling with laughter, to the point that Liam would have worried that he would have died suffocated, if he had not just been labeled as 'mom' for his amusement.  
Grace watched them even more intrigued. "Okay, stop it," Liam protested. He stared at Theo, still folded in laughter. "I'm about to punch you," he warned.  
"Sorry, Mom," Theo said in tears.  
  
  
"You punch him again," Grace said, as Liam took her hand and pulled her forward.  
"He deserved it again"

  
 

*

When the sun disappeared over the horizon, the three camped at the foot of a large oak. While Theo lit a fire, Liam and Grace placed a blanket on the ground and divided the provisions. When Theo had finished working on the bonfire and sat next to them, Grace had already finished her part and had fallen asleep against Liam's side. Theo looked at her with a smile. And Liam followed his gaze by imitating him. "What will we do with her?" Liam asked in a whisper.  
Theo shrugged. "We will take her with us to Beacon Hills"  
"My mum always wanted another child," Liam said with a puff of amusement. Then he glanced at his cell phone, almost unloaded and without signal. "Who knows how the others are doing - today is marked on Lydia's paint, and yet it was quiet"  
"Just because we have not met living beings on the street, we do not know how it is out there," Theo commented, playing with his portion of food  
"Why doesnt affect us?" Liam asked loudly.  
Theo shrugged without knowing how to answer. "I do not know," he answered simply. "It's frustrating not to know, it's something I hate," Theo continued with irritation. "... not having control over what 's going to happen"  
Liam looked at him for a moment, amused. "Alright, okay, there's no need to get angry now"  
Theo looked at him in confusion, and Liam fixed his eyes, frowning eyebrows, on the claws that had just come out of Theo's hands. Theo looked at them in confusion, as if he had never seen them before. The expression turned to a worried, when he realized he could not get them back. He looked up in alarm at Liam, just as his eyes sparkled from their natural color to golden and vice versa.  
Liam's amused gaze quickly disappeared. "What happens?"  
Theo snapped to his feet, continuing to look at his hands "I ... can not ... take them back ..." Theo mumbled with difficulty, even feeling the fangs sprout.  
Liam too jumped up, causing Grace to wake up with a start. "Theo ... breathe ..." Liam whispered alarmed.  
Grace looked at them "What's up?"  
Liam turned to her. "Grace, get away, go and hide and stay there until I tell you to go out" She looked at him confused "Go ... Grace ..." Theo growled, as the transformation was completed, feeling the lucidity slipping away from his mind.  
"GO!" Liam shouted again, to which Grace obeyed.  
At that point Liam looked back at Theo and took him by the shoulders. "Theo, concentrate, you never had trouble controlling yourself, what's going on?"  
"I do not know ..." Unable to contain it, Theo growled, pushing away the boy's hands "Liam ... go away ... go away you too ..."  
"No!"  
"Please, I can not-"

  
 

Liam put his hands on the boy's shoulders tightening them tight "I will not leave you, Theo, I would never leave without you! Breathe, focus on me-"  
"Not ... I can't ..." At that point Theo growled wriggling from his grip, and hurled himself at Liam. Liam held him back by force, his hands still pressed against his boyfriend's chest, until he hit a tree. When Theo was about to hit him, he lowered himself to avoid it and took a few steps back  
"Theo ..." called him. Theo growled and took another step forward, when suddenly someone shot.  
A narcotizing arrow hit Theo in the chest. The boy looked confused at the arrow, before collapsing on the ground. Liam looked at the scene with wide eyes, before moving his gaze to the newcomers. After a moment in which his gaze was crossed by fear, he met Hayden's eyes "Liam!" she exclaimed, running towards them.  
"Hayden?" he said upset. Then he noticed the boy by his side "..you!" He was the hunter. The Peacemaker. And was he with Hayden? Liam was not understanding anything anymore. "What are you doing here? What are you doing with him?”  
"After the questions, first we have to solve this problem" the boy interrupted him, stepping forward and grabbing Theo from under his arm to pull him near a tree.  
"What are you doing?" Liam snapped, following his movements. The Peacemaker drew a rope, decidedly soaked in yellow wolfbane, from his backpack, before looking at him

  
 

"I tie him up,what do you think?, or do you want he to jump in your throat again?" Liam swallowed, unable to answer, while he tied Theo to the tree, blocking his hands.  
Hayden approached Liam. "What happened?" he asked weakly.  
Liam shook his head "I do not know, had never happened such a thing," Liam exclaimed upset.  
The hunter stood up and reached them. "It does not depend on him," he said. "He was infected by the third wave"  
Hayden and Liam looked at him confused. "Is that what it's called?" Liam asked.  
"Third wave? Wave of what?" asked Hayden.  
"Anyway now he's gone, there's nothing you can do-" he continued ignoring the questions.  
Liam gave him a look of fire. "What do you mean?!"  
"Once infected, it is difficult to get rid of it"  
Liam wanted to contradict him. They had already done it. They had blocked Grace's wave of wrath. And they could stop Theo's. _He_ could stop it. It was his anchor, hell! If he could not do it ... "It's not like that," he said only, crossing him furiously.

  
 

He leaned in front of Theo, who lay with his back locked against the tree, his head down, asleep. "What do you want-?" the other began, but Liam was already shaking Theo. "Stop, are you crazy ?!"  
He started to shoot forward, but Hayden held him back. "Let him try, please," she said only.  
Liam shook the boy again, "Wake up, Theo ... come back to you," he whispered, pleading. Theo's breathing slowly became faster and so did his beating, while Liam saw him open his eyes. He heard a growl stuck in the boy's throat as he shot with his head up, his eyes golden again, and his fangs out.  
"Theo!" Liam called him strongly. "It's me, Liam, you're not like that, you're the one who's always in control, you remember?!, the one who crawled out of hell, the one who, in spite of everything, found the strength to get up, to start over. The one who, piece by pice, has regained the trust of every person around him, you're _stronger_ than anything is tryin' to control you!” he shouted angrily. He took him by the shoulders, forcing him to look him in the eyes, and made them sparkle, sticking them to his "Theo, come back to you!" Theo stood there looking at him, motionless, as if was enchanted ... until the claws withdrew, the fangs disappeared ... and slowly the gold gave way to the blue green of his eyes. Liam held his breath. "Theo ..."  
"Liam?" Theo breathed heavily  
"Ah, thanks God, you're fine!" he said, hugging him.

  
 

Theo put his head on the boy's shoulder, confused and panting. "What happened?" he asked weakly.  
"I would like to know it too," Hayden said.  
Theo looked up at the two behind them. "What are they doing here? _You_ ... are ..."  
"Incredible" the hunter commented, almost impassive. "Apparently you can get rid of it" reflected.  
Liam snapped up. "Okay, that's enough, what the hell is going on ?!" He exclaimed. "What is it that infects people? Why are everyone going crazy? And what is this story about the countdown and the end of the world?"  
Hayden followed the disconcerted speech. She looked from Liam to Shawn.  
"Well, it's not like there's a lot to say," he replied slowly. "Have you ever heard about ..." He looked up at them " _... the Pandora's box?_ "

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED_


	25. Pandora's Box

 

"Sorry, could you repeat?" Liam whispered, wide eyes, staring at the guy in front of him.  
"Did you just say 'pandora's box'?" Theo checked, which Hayden had quickly freed from the wolfbane, standing up and rubbing his sore wrists.  
"Yes, are you surprised that it exists?" He asked, raising an eyebrow.  
Theo and Liam exchanged only one exasperated look. "No, right now nothing surprises me anymore", then the latter mumbled.  
The hunter sat down in front of the fire, putting his crossbow to his side, and looked up at the two. "I want you to tell me everything you know," he said.  
Theo snorted. "If you tell us how things really are, we might decide to collaborate," he rolled his eyes. He answered with a single gesture of his shoulders, while Hayden sighed with relief, sitting down too.  
Liam and Theo looked at each other again. "Maybe first ... should we recall Grace?" Liam said weakly, moving a few steps forward. Theo imitated him.  
"Who is Grace?" Hayden asked, confused.  
"Grace, you can go out now," Liam shouted. Anything. Theo inhaled "Grace, it's all okay, you can come back now"  
There was only a moment of silence, before there was a sound of footsteps and Grace's head came out from behind a tree, as if checking the situation.  
Theo knelt. "Hey, come on, it's over," he whispered. Grace moved slowly and cautiously, taking a few steps toward them. "I'm sorry if I scared you," Theo added, the tense voice waiting for a reaction from the little girl. Which promptly arrived in the form of big tears and a desperate cry.

"Oh no," Liam grumbled, taking a step toward her as Grace unexpectedly lunged for Theo, hugging him and weeping at him. Liam could almost clearly feel Theo's body stiffen in amazement at the touch. He stood still for at least ten seconds, before raising his hands and hugging the girl in turn. "I'm sorry if we've scared you," he whispered. Grace squeezed more tightly into her embrace, and said, the voice muffled by the pressure of her face on Theo's chest "I thought you left me"

Theo opened his eyes slightly, realizing she was not crying because his transformation had frightened her, but the idea that something had happened to them- to him and Liam- had frightened her. "We're fine, nothing's happened- it will never happen again," Theo said, stroking her head. Liam stayed there to look at them as if he were enchanted before approaching and to turn a caress to the child. Grace flung herself to embrace Liam as well, and remained there until the last tear was spilled.

  
When they finally turned back to the other two, Grace gave them a surprised look. "Who are they?" She asked weakly as they approached the fire.  
"They are ... friends. Hayden and- "Liam paused, not knowing what actually the hunter's name was  
"Shawn" he said raising his hand in greeting.  
"You do not know the name of your friend?" Grace asked with a smile while Theo sat down and leaned her head on his legs. Liam slid down beside her. "A long story" Liam cut short, taking her hand. "Sleep now"  
Grace seemed to want to protest, but it took only a few minutes to make her sleepy. "Who is this girl?" Hayden whispered, looking at them curiously.

 

"A werewolf has bitten her for a little while, she was lonely and frightened-" Liam began.  
"And you took her with you on a suicide mission?" Shawn asked lightly.  
"No! She followed us without we realizing it! "He protested.  
"Who has entrusted the salvation of the world to two werewolves who are stalking without being noticed by a child?" Shawn asked, amused, looking at Hayden as if seeking an answer. Hayden snorted.  
"Hey, we've been traveling for three weeks, sleeping in the back of a pick-up, in two days all we ate was a packet of chips and the world is literally going down the drain. Sorry if we lose shots, "Liam complained.  
Theo rolled his eyes. "Back to the serious things? Waves, end of the world, Pandora's box? "  
Shawn took a deep breath. "The story of Pandora's box is a secret of our order. If I talk to you about it, it's because I'm sure from what Hayden mentioned to me that you know something important. So I speak if you speak "  
Theo nodded his head "It makes no sense to have secrets, I guess that we are all on the same side right now?" He noted.  
"Good," Shawn agreed. He took another breath. "I suppose you all know what Pandora's box is," he began, looking at them.  
"A vase that according to legend contains all the evils of the world," Hayden answered weakly.

 

Shawn nodded. "It was given by Zeus to a woman, Pandora, Prometheus' sister, to punish him through her, for having given fire to human kind. The legend says that at that time the men lived happily, in a world untouched by evil, and they were very similar to the gods. The vase was both a gift and a punishment. Zeus sent it to Pandora with the precise warning that she would never open it. But she did. Pride, human curiosity ... won over the sense of duty. Fortunately, the vase was only partially opened, pouring out only a manageable amount of evils, which are the ones that have since then tormented the humanity "  
"So what's happening now is an effect of opening the vase?" Liam asked. Shawn nodded. "How do we stop it? How do we put the evils back into it ?! "Theo immediately said.  
"We can't," Shawn said. "Once the trial is triggered, it can not be reversed."  
Liam stood looking at him open-mouthed "It's not possible! There must be a way! "  
"Let me finish explaining you. What I have told you is the known part to all of story. What no one knows is that actually Pandora's box ... it's a natural disaster. "A stuned silence followed Shawn's words.  
"What does it mean? How can a vase be a natural calamity? "Theo snapped in disbelief.  
"I told you that the Vase was a punishment, but also a gift. Several times in the course of history, it has risked to uncover it altogether, but we Peacemakers have always managed to prevent it. This is what we do "  
"I still do not understand," Liam mumbled. Shawn took another breath.  
"When the world exceeds a certain threshold of corruption, of wickedness and suffering, the vase opens, triggering a process of purification. It spreads the evil, but infects only those who already have a seed of it inside themselves, leaving only those who are worthy to live "  
"Worthy?" Repeated Hayden. "Yes"

"And how can you be worthy?" Liam asked again.  
"Those who do not get infected ... or who once infected" his eyes swung on Theo "are strong enough to get rid of them. These are the worthy ones. In this way, the world will return to its original purity, it will again be uncontaminated and pure as it was before Pandora opened the vase. "The group again fell into a disconcerted silence. "Obviously as idyllic as it seems, nobody wants to reset of the world, so we who are the custodians of the vase we have been committed for millennia to prevent it from opening. Keeping the balance in balance. Avoiding that hangs on the side of evil by triggering the process "

 

" _We kill who kills_ ," Theo muttered, eyes wide, finally understanding something.  
Liam looked at him. "Only I still do not understand?"  
"No, we're in two," Hayden said, rolling his eyes.  
"Doing evil for a good purpose. A moral paradox, "Theo said slowly.  
"This helps us keep the balance between good and bad," Shawn explained, nodding. "But this time it does not work. I told you that it already happened that the vase opened ... the plague in '300, the second world war ... but we always managed to prevent it before it passed the third wave, but this time it does not work "Now the tone of Shawn had grown more worried, more tense.  
"How many others are there?" Liam asked weakly  
"Another two. Fear and regret. Then there will be the final wave, death "  
"So ... are you telling me ... that there is nothing to do?"  
"This is what I thought, until I heard about you." The heads of the three snapped up quickly. "What do you mean?" Theo gasped.  
"Nobody should know about it. And yet ... you knew where to go, where to find us, you know about the waves and the end of the world ... how is it possible? "  
"Um ... our friend ... she's a banshee ... she drew your symbol and dates" Liam gestured.  
Shawn's eyes widened "Dates? Date?! You know when the waves will hit ?! "  
Liam nodded. "And we know how much is left"

 

Shawn opened his eyes even more if possible. "How much ..?" He asked weakly  
"Fifty days"

Hayden paled "Fi..fifty ?!"  
"What does that mean?" Theo asked impatiently.  
"It means that it can not be a natural disaster if we have been given the means to predict it." "So what is it?" Liam asked.  
"If the vase did not open on its own because it was about time, then _someone_ opened it. And if someone opened it, then _only in this case_ it can be closed "  
"Great!" Liam exclaimed. "I like this perspective more"  
"What else do you know? Whatever ... any detail on this story that has been provided to you ... can help us ... " Shawn urged them.  
Theo looked at Liam. "Well ... there's a person ..." he began. "She has a tattoo that punctuates the countdown, Lydia ... i mean, the banshee ... she wrote her name and the place where we could find her under your symbol ... and she told us that she's been given in a dream the directions for find you... "  
"Let me guess ..." Shawn said, looking at them with a slight smile on his face, as if everything was clearer now. "... did she introduce herself as Maya?"

 

 

*

 

"Does not it seem strangely quiet?" Kira's voice broke the tense silence that had been created in Nolan's car, parked a few hundred yards from the iron gate of a large abandoned factory. Scott, sitting in the passenger seat, exchanged a look with Nolan.  
"How many are they?" the latter asked.  
"I hear no more than five beats .... and if two are from Corey and Lisa-"  
"Certainly!"  
"So they are only three ...?" Scott completed skeptical.  
"It's easy. It can be easy, for once, it can be, "Malia muttered, eyes wide open, sitting next to Kira. "Come on," she urged them, slipping out of the car without too many ceremonies. Nolan grabbed the crossbow from under the seat and followed her without fuss. Scott and Kira exchanged a single worried look, before following them in turn.

"We'll all die," Kira muttered, pulling out the katana.

 

 

*

 

Isaac suddenly woke up when the first rays of the morning hit him on the face. He jumped up and took a few seconds to realize where he was. They were in the school library, he had fallen asleep with his head resting on the table, on top of a Norse mythology book he was reading, surrounded by two other piles of volumes not yet touched. He snorted before getting up and looking around for Maya. "Good morning," she enjoyed, coming out from behind a shelf with three more volumes in her hand.

"How long did I sleep?"

"Just a few hours," she said quietly.

Isaac looked at her. "Have you been here all night reading?" He asked in astonishment.

She shrugged. "Finally my memories are coming back, and we have clues to work on. I'm sure we're close " she sat down and opened the first volume of a long stack. Then she looked up at him. "You can wait for me at the loft if you want. I know you're anxious about others"

" I can not leave you here alone, "the wolf protested. "Nobody knows about me, for the hunters I'm just a common girl who spends the summer in the library, nobody will attack me" she reassured him with an amused grimace. Isaac did not seem convinced. "Go, I'll catch up with you soon," she insisted, to which Isaac nodded before leaving the room, giving her one last look. Maya followed him with her eyes until he was gone through the door, before returning to his book. She was determined to come to terms with it. Now they knew about the waves, the evils, the end and the Peacemakers. Desperation, anger, illness.

In her dreams she had seen an uncontaminated world. She had dreamed of darkness, had dreamed of a light that broke it. She had felt the desire to go out. _Out from where?_ She just had to find something that put all the pieces together. The definitive piece that completely triggered her memory. With this conviction, Maya flipped through the pages of every book of mythology contained in the library.

"Why is it so hard?" She looked up and snorted, looking around. Her gaze fell on the computer behind the desk. She had seen Mason and Lydia use it, maybe it could be easier that way? She got up and sat down in front of it, clicking on the search bar. She wrote at random what she knew: mythology, world, evils, darkness, going out - hoping they would bring some results, and pressed impatient sending. She waited while the results were loading. She saw them one by one, the most 'had no connection with mythology. Until then a name leapt out of her eyes. _Pandora. Pandora's box._ Maya opened her eyes wide. That name suggested something to her. It was the first time she felt she had found something interesting. She came back and typed more specifically 'Pandora's box'.

 

_According to Greek mythology, a vase containing all the evils of the world._

 

Maya snapped to her feet. _The vase ... The vase ..._ She remembered that day in New Orleans. _It disappeared ..._ she kept repeating. "It's the vase," she whispered. "The vase has disappeared".

She remembered the dream. _Don't open it. I have to stop them._ She had thought _._ Maya gasped as she felt the pieces return to their place, the memory returning to each new piece of information.  
_Then I...?_ Maya thinks back to the chimeras.To the attack during the eclipse. If she was right, then there was something she could do. Without even pausing to reflect, she flung out of the library toward the loft.

 

*

 

"What's the plan now?" Liam asked, as they were about to leave again that morning.  
"To reach the hiding place of the order and warn them," Shawn muttered. "You two are proof that this is not a natural disaster, so you have to come with me. If someone has opened the vase, it must be stopped "  
"Well, that was the plan anyway," Theo commented, pulling out the local map. Shawn approached "We are not far away. On foot we will take no more than a few days "  
"Where is it?" Asked Liam curiously. Shawn pointed to a spot on the map.  
"Peace river?" Read Theo. "A river who bring peace..." Liam translated "It was this that meant the message" he reflected  
"The Peacekeepers who hide in a place called Peace River? It is not suspicious at all , " Theo commented, closing the map.  
"That country gets its name from us," Shawn muttered, turning and making his way.  
"Listen, what is Maya's role in all this?" Theo wanted to know, a few minutes later, as they walked in single file. Shawn in front with Hayden behind, Theo, and then Liam holding Grace's hand. "I do not know much, it never happened that someone was so crazy as to open the Vase, so all we have are rumors and legends handed down by our order. We do not really know how it works in this case. However, it is said that opening the Vase when it is not the moment is clearly a challenge to the divine. The gods manifest themselves to prevent it. The Maya is a word that indicates the supernatural power of the gods and demons to generate illusions. It is also the power that evils possess, " he explained, continuing to proceed. "The fact that the Maya appeared was another proof that the vase was opened by someone"

"Why would anyone want to open a vase that contains evil?" Hayden asked, upset.  
"Fanaticism, madness, desire for power ... or desire for death. There are so many reasons, "Shawn continued. "When the world is destroyed and only the 'worthy' will survive, someone will have to take command of this new perfect world, right?"  
Theo looked at Liam with wide eyes. "And then you told me that I was power hungry," he commented sarcastically.

"I'm glad you did not start a campaign of world destruction then," Liam said ironically.

"Please, for so little"

Hayden smiled a little, before returning to seriousness, her gaze fixed on the back of Shawn moving in front of her. "But there's one thing I do not understand," she said. "If all this is a secret handed down by your order, who would ever know about the Vase and open it?" Shawn seemed to stiffen in front of her. "I do not know, that's what we should find out"

 

 

*

 

"Hey Scott, how's the situation?" Lydia's voice came to the headset. The four were crouched behind the wall that bounded the border, a few meters from the gate.

"It seems strangely quiet, judging by the beats are not more than three"

"We can manage three hunters," Malia said, doing to get up, but Scott pulled her down again. "Dying will not help us save Lisa and Corey"

"Not even sit here and wait for reinforcements to come," Malia replied. "Our friends are there, the hunters certainly expect our arrival, they have certainly localized us and if now they are three, they will soon be a hundred. We can not wait "

" I think ... that Malia is right, "Kira whispered. "There's no way this is safe. We just have to do it. We are in war, and the risk is part of it "

" I am with you, "Nolan said, holding the crossbow.

"Okay," Scott whispered. "You are right. I, Malia and Kira will go on, Nolan you will stay behind to cover our shoulders "

" But- "

" You can't heal, we can not risk losing you too "Nolan, pale, nodded. "For any suspicious movement, we keep in touch with radio" Then he waved to the two girls. Malia nodded, walking stealthily and reaching the gate. With a leap, she passed it, stopping to check the situation. "Go ahead" she whispered.

  
It was easy, it was too easy. Scott thought it, Kira thought it, as they followed Malia, who had broken one of the windows with a fist.

Nolan thought it, watching them anxiously from his hiding place a dozen yards away, his white hands gripping the crossbow.

Malia also began to think of it when she slipped inside the factory and could not perceive anything.

Scott looked around. The shelves, the bookcases were empty. The desks were empty. Yet there was a smell that hovered lightly in the air. A smell that could not frame well. "Come on," the coyote whispered. "I catched their smells" And she made way.

 

 

*  
  
Corey was breathing hard, leaning against the wall of the cell, Lisa slumped next to him. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"For what?"

"I dragged you here, I'm sorry," she gasped, weak. It was two days since they saw food and water.

"You do not have to apologize, you just tried to do the right thing" Corey slid his hand into Lisa's and squeezed her tight "You'll see that they will come to rescue, we'll leave from here" Lisa nodded against his shoulder. "Why do they keep us here? Where did everyone go? " She mumbled. "I do not know, I can not hear anything. I can not feel _anything_ anymore, " Corey answered.

"What do you mean?"

"Theo's smell. It was everywhere before, now I can not smell it anymore, "he whispered. "What do you mean?" She asked, looking up at him.

"Lisa ... I can not turn invisible" he gasped, tightening her hand even more.

She opened her eyes, then inhaled. "I ..." "What?"

"I do not feel what you're feeling"

 

*

 

Nolan was beginning to worry. Several minutes had passed and he still had no news. He started to get up when a voice stopped him. "I would not do it if I were you"  
That voice made him shiver. It paralyzed him. While a series of bad memories surfaced in his mind, he turned to face Monroe a few feet away from him, a gun pointing at him. "You ..." he mumbled.

"It's a pleasure to see you again Nolan." Nolan clasped his hands on the crossbow, lifting it up. Even knowing that against a gun he had no hope. Monroe raised her eyebrows. "Would you dare shoot at those who taught you to be a hunter?" She asked with a sneer.

"Everything I learned from you was like _not_ being a hunter." His voice was shaking, but he did not know if it was from fear or anger. "You killed Gabe, you let him die, you did not care about him, even though he believed in you!" He shouted. "While Theo, despite being his enemy, took pity on him and took his pain! Who is the real monster ?! "

" Gabe sacrificed himself for a greater good, was aware of the risks and decided to run them"

" Is that what you repeat to yourself while you kill innocent kids to turn them into bacteriological weapons? "

"Some lives are expendable to achieve a goal, to free the world from evil, from the contamination of these abominations-"  
"What did you do to Alec? Why is he losing his powers? "Nolan interrupted her, more and more furious. Monroe laughed. "What is right. The supernatural is a form of inequality and injustice, which gives them the right to consider themselves superior to human beings "

" At least none of them has ever taken the right to decide about life and death of others people. They have always protected everyone, even when everyone hated them, even when everyone was against them - they never stopped protecting them. ...That's why you'll lose- " Monroe laughed again. "But I've already won," she said slowly.

Nolan felt the blood freezing in his veins. "What-?"

The hunter raised her left hand, which had so far been stretched out along her side, and showed the hand that contained a simple remote control. "Did you really think we had not left anyone on guard? Did you really think that normally we did not surround the perimeter with the wolfbane? Are you really so naive? "

 

Monroe laughed again, her finger slipping on the button, pressing him, while Nolan could only turn around screaming Scott's name, while the whole building blow up.

 

*

 

When Maya entered the loft she rushed into Alec's room without saying a word to the others, sitting in the living room. Isaac and Lydia exchanged a confused look, before Stiles nodded to Isaac as to say to think about it.  
Maya knelt next to Alec. The boy was still unconscious, the sweat running down his face, and his breathing was heavy and irregular. Maya took his hand and closed her eyes. "Work, please," she whispered. She raised her right hand and pointed it at the boy. She clearly sensed a movement behind her, where Isaac stopped to look at her in the doorway. She opened her eyes, thinking back to everything she had discovered, and firmly whispered, " _Requio ex malo_ " A beam of light illuminated her hand, which moved slowly from Alec's head to the bust and finally to the feet. When it was gone, she jumped up, while Isaac reached her. She met his astonished eyes. "What was it?" "Now I'll explain," she answered, still staring at Alec. Suddenly his face regained color, and his breathing calmed down. Isaac's eyes are even wider. "Is he ... healed?" He looked at Maya again "How did you do that ?!" "I blocked the wave effect, as I did a few weeks ago with the chimeras"

“H-how?”

"Let him rest, he'll wake up soon." Maya took Isaac by the hand and pulled him out of the room "Now I'll explain everything"  
"What happened?" Lydia asked, looking worried.

"She healed Alec," Isaac explained, still upset.

"What?" Stiles exclaimed standing up. "

I did not heal him, I removed the evil that had infected him," Maya explained.

"Are you telling me that you remembered something?" Lydia asked her approaching.

"I remember everything," she whispered. "Suddenly all the pieces went to their place. And I knew I could do it. "

" So-? "Stiles gestured impatiently with his hands." What did you find? "

Maya took a breath." Do you know what Pandora's box is? " She asked.

Stiles's eyes widened. "Is that what this is about?" He asked.

"The Vase that contains all the evils of the world?" Lydia said.

"Yes, this is what I dreamed of. The Vase, the evils that came out of it. The perfect world before Pandora opened it. And the waves are the evils that are coming out of it "

" How do we stop it? "Isaac asked. "Usually you can not. The vase is a natural disaster. It opens when the world reaches a threshold of corruption that requires a purification. The only way to slow it down is to keep the balance between good and bad on a neutral level. This is what the Peacemakers do. "

" So- wait, in all this what is your role? "Isaac asked, confused.

"You ... would you be Pandora?"

Maya shook her head. "Pandora is just a metaphor of pride and human curiosity, which triggers the reboot process. But if there is a Pandora in this story, it is the one who opened the Vase, "she said.

"Wait up. I thought you said it was a natural disaster, "Stiles muttered.

"Usually it is, but not this time. Someone opened it. So we can stop it. We can close the vase and put the evils back inside "

" How can you be so sure? "Lydia asked her pale.

"Because if it were a calamity, I would not be here," she said.

The three looked at her in shock. "What do you mean?" Isaac asked weakly.

"The reason why I do not remember anything before New Orleans is because I did not exist before that day. I ... I came out of the Vase together with the evils "

The three exchanged a bewildered look. "Do you know what remained at the bottom of the Pandora's box when all the evils poured into the world?" Maya asked slowly.  
She could hear Lydia clearly holding her breath. "You mean that-?"

Isaac seemed more and more confused.  
"That's it, I went out because it was not yet time for the vase to get opened, I went out because I'm the only one able to close it and put the evils back in it ..." Stiles blinked, the awareness that made his way on his face, while the pieces went to their place.

"... _I am the hope_ "

 

 

 

_TO BE CONTINUED._


	26. Turning tables

 

"Lydia, are you okay?" Stiles' voice reached her ears like a distant echo. "Lydia" he shouted louder, turning around the table around which until a few seconds ago they had gathered to talk about the vase and how to find it. Or at least, as long as Lydia had not stiffened, staring into space, her eyes slightly wide open.

  
Stiles gently put a hand on her shoulder and turned to look at Isaac and Maya, standing motionless behind them. "Is she alright?"  
Stiles breath trembled as he breathed deeply. "She is- but someone else probably not"

  
The shapes and voices of the three were blurred around Lydia. She heard a distant, soft, almost imperceptible hiss. Until someone shot. It was as if the blow had left near her ear. Lydia jumped, putting her hands to her head, the whine that became more and more acute, up to pierce her eardrums. Then again a ticking, a roar, the sound of broken glass, a sensation of burning heat on the skin, and then the icy of death. Lydia came to herself, feeling weak on her legs, but Stiles's grip kept her from falling. Lydia inhaled, looking around in shock, as if trying to remember where she was.

  
"What happened, what did you see?" Isaac asked upset. Lydia did not answer, still staggering, reached the microphone connected to the PC and brought it to her ears.  
"Scott!" She mumbled. "Scott, do you hear me? Respond! "Lydia's gaze met the shocked ones of the other three, until she heard the hissing announcing the answer from the other side.  
"Lydia, we're here, we're in." Scott's voice broke the silence.  
"Scott ... it's a trap, you have to get out of there. _Right now_ "

  
 

*

"Looks like the Ghost Riders are just passed here," Malia said, moving from the window to inspect the place. It was empty, as if someone had wanted to erase every trace of his presence.  
"Do you feel this smell?" Scott whispered.  
Malia breathed deeply. "Yes ... it seems familiar" Then she frowned. "Is it ... Argent's?"  
"It's not Argent's smell." Scott's eyes widened. "It's gunpowder"  
Kira looked up at the two. "It's a trap, we need to get Corey and Lisa out quickly"  
"Scott!" Lydia's voice came trembling to the alpha's ear. "Scott, can you hear me?"  
"Lydia, we're here, we're in," he replied, panting, running as he followed Malia, intent on catching the smell of Corey and Lisa.  
"Scott ... it's a trap, you have to get out of there right now!," Lydia said  
"We know," he replied. "Let's take Corey and Lisa and get out of here"  
Malia opened the first door on the upper floor. Nothing. "What is this?" Kira asked, approaching the wall and extracting something stuck in the wall.  
"That's where the beats came from," Scott said as he approached her. "There's never been anyone here besides Corey and Lisa"

"Come on, we have to hurry," Malia said, catching another smell and guiding them down the corridor. She tried to open the last door to the right but it was locked.  
"Here we are, they're here," Scott said.  
"I'll take care of that," Malia mumbled, taking a few steps back, before kicking the door, making it out of its hinges. As she slid in, with Scott in the back, Kira paused on the corridor.  
They had to get out of there quickly. She ran to the window at the end of the corridor. Obviously all the windows had bars. She looked out, and noticed that that side of the building faced the back. Below them, a few meters away, there was a huge metal box full of rubbish. Kira could feel her brain working feverishly as she slid against the left door, throwing it open. She looked around, and smiled. There was a way to get out quickly.

  
"Corey!" Scott lunged toward the two boys, slumped against each other, in a small cell. Malia growled grabbing the big lock and cutting it off with a single blow. "Lisa, wake up"  
"Are they alive?" Malia asked, looking at them worriedly.  
"I hope so," Corey mumbled, his eyelids heavy as he breathed heavily. Scott held back a smile, helping him get up, while Malia approached Lisa.

  
 

At that moment Kira appeared in the doorway. "Guys, we need to get out of here fast" She led them to the opposite room, where she opened a small sliding door on the wall with a sharp gesture.  
"What is that?" Malia asked, turning her nose to the smell and staring unconvinced at the narrow slide.  
"Slide for garbage .... we will land on the soft" she reassured them, pausing with her eyes especially on Lisa and Corey, already weak.  
"Come on, there's not much time," Scott whispered, and then looked up, catching an increase in heartbeat in the distance. _Nolan_ , he thought.

  
He concentrated to hear him at that distance. "--when everyone was against them - they never stopped protecting them, that's why you'll lose-" Nolan was shouting at someone. Scott clearly heard Monroe's icy laughter. His eyes widened.  
"Get out quickly, Nolan is in trouble"  
Lisa winced "Is Nolan here?" she mumbled upset.  
"Come on," Malia urged, helping her to climb and letting her go down. Then it was Corey's turn. "Kira, take them and get away in the meantime," Scott said, while Kira nodded and jumped down.  
"But I've already won," Monroe was saying, with an almost audible grin. Scott shuddered at her satisfied tone. He knew there was no more time. "Go, Malia"  
The coyote obeyed and Scott followed her closely, with Nolan's voice in his ears screaming his name, before hitting something soft. Before suddenly everything was on fire, feeling his body thrown off the impact of the explosion.

  
 

*

"Scott !!" Nolan shouted, turning to the sigh of the remote control, the moment the Monroe slid his finger over the switch. At that moment, the building exploded, the windows went into pieces and waves of smoke and flames came from every corner. "Scott, Malia, Kira !!" he shouted again, taking a few steps toward the building, before a shot rang out in his ears.

 

Nolan stopped. The pain struck him a few moments later, when he brought his hand to his left side and withdrew it full of blood. He gasped, falling to the ground with a thud.  
"Goodbye, Nolan," Monroe whispered somewhere behind him. "And say goodbye to your friends for me," she added, before turning her heels and walking away.

  
 

*

While trying to keep his eyes open, Scott only heard a sharp whistle in his ears while everything around him was confused. "..ott .." He moved his fingers, trying to recover sensitivity, until he felt some hands grasp him. His face was clearly on the ground, because he felt those hands turn him upside down. Now he could feel the heat on his skin, and the pain of burns on his body. "Scott, can you hear me?" Kira's anguished voice made its way through the hisses and whistles in his head. "Scott ..."  
He gasped as he took in the air, coughing when he inspired a good amount of smoke. "Where's Malia?" It was the first question when he finally crossed Kira's face. She did not answer, but looked up at Corey and Lisa, covered with dirt and soot, their faces covered with cuts and their body bruised as they dragged Malia away from the flames a few yards away from them.  
Corey leaned over her, shaking her. "Malia, open your eyes," the boy shouted. Lisa panted behind him. "We have to trigger her healing," she whispered, looking at the burned coyote's body, unconscious in Corey's arms. Scott struggled to sit up, and Kira put a hand on his back to support him.  
"You too must trigger your healing," she whispered worried. Scott looked at his burned hands, his tattered shirt, the blood dripping from his left leg. "First Malia, I heal more quickly," he muttered, before stumbling to the girl, throwing himself next to her and taking her hand to absorb her pain.  
Scott took her, holding her head in his lap and shaking it slightly, feeling his pain invade his body. "Scott ..." Lisa blew in a warning tone. He could heal, it's true, but not if all of that pain was taken together.  
"Malia ...!" he ignored her, looking at the unconscious face of his girlfriend. "Wake up, please." Scott let go, bending down to kiss her forehead. "Please open your eyes," he mumbled in his trembling voice.  
At that moment Malia coughed faintly, then moaning. She gasped, to catch her breath. "Scott ..." she whispered. “... are we all.. here.. are we all safe? Did we go out?" Scott gave her a smile of relief, nodding, as she squinted. The boy looked at the body of the coyote that was slowly healing. Kira, Corey and Lisa breathed a sigh of relief.  
"Can you get up?" Scott whispered. Malia nodded weakly, while Scott helped her get up. "We have to find Nolan," he said, as Kira put an arm around her friend's waist to support her.  
"Scott, you're not healing," Corey muttered as he approached him.

"I will heal, now we must find Nolan and leave," he insisted. The others nodded, following him as he walked around the perimeter of the building to the entrance where they have left their friend.  
They saw the body on the ground as soon as they turned the corner. "Oh God," Lisa mumbled, seeing him and making a snap to reach him, the others behind her. She threw herself next to him, her eyes wide open with terror staring at the blood that was dripping from the wound.  
"Nolan!" Scott screamed putting himself next to him and pulling off the jacket of the sweatshirt to press it overbearingly on the boy's wound. Nolan groaned.  
"Scott ... Lisa ... are you all right?"  
Scott nodded. "Now do not talk, we need to take him to the hospital." He looked at Corey and this automatically bent down to help the alpha pull him up. "Let's go to the car, we have to hurry up"

  
 

*

Stiles closed the call, turning to look at the other three. "It was Kira, they're fine, but Nolan is hurt, they're going to the hospital"  
"It could be dangerous," Isaac noted.  
"Let's get them there, meanwhile I'll tell Melissa to be ready for when they'll arrive," he said, looking at Lydia who nodded.  
"I'm coming with you," Maya said. "He could be infected by the third wave"  
Stiles nodded, while Isaac turned to look at the door beyond which Alec was. "Maybe we should not leave him alone-" he began  
"I'll stay with him," said a voice at the top of the stairs. The four raised their heads to Ian, who had remained aloof to look at the scene, pale.  
"Okay," Stiles mumbled. "Take care of him," he nodded, and one after the other they slid toward the exit.

  
 

*

Ian was astonished. At that moment, he really did not know what to feel like. He had warned Monroe about their arrival, so why did he feel upset and sick at the idea that she had almost blown them up? Why did he feel a sense of relief at the idea that they actually made it out?  
He heard a cough from the room where the injured boy lay, and he stood up slowly, approaching. Alec, or so he seemed to remember that his name was, he was awake, his head abandoned on the pillow. When Ian entered he turned to look at him. "Wa..ater" mumbled.  
Ian took a step forward, taking the jug of water on the bedside table and pouring a glass. When he realized he could not do it alone, he brought the glass to his lips and helped him drink.  
Alec breathed deeply and then looked at him again. " Who are you?" asked. Ian sat down in the chair next to the bed. "Ian" he said only.  
Alec frowned. "Stiles' friend?" whispered. To which Ian nodded. "Is he here too?

"Now no, they ... come out, all" He thought it was not appropriate to tell him that they were all at the hospital after most of them had almost jumped into the air. _Because of me._ "They'll be back soon," he added in a tone that he hoped was reassuring.  
Alec sighed. "What happened to me?"  
Ian did not know exactly what had happened to the boy. He knew only the final part, the one he had heard since he was here. "Poison, they say, you could not heal," he mumbled.  
Alec weakly turned his head to look at the left hand slumped on the bed. "Why can not I transform?" he mumbled in a weak whisper.  
Ian followed his gaze and stared at his hand. "They say ... you lost your powers"  
Alec gave a strangled verse and then a cough. "Are you OK?" Ian asked again, getting up when Alec tried to sit up. He helped him lean against the headboard of the bed. "I do not have my powers anymore" Alec whispered desperately, looking at his hands.

Ian bit his lip, unsure whether or not to do the question that pressed on his tongue. "Is it so bad?" Too late.  
Alec looked at him. "A few months ago I would have answered no" Ian's eyes widened, surprised by the answer how surprised he was that the boy had actually replied without sending him to hell. "I grew up following a code that kept us from transforming ourselves, to avoid being a danger to others," Alec explained weakly.  
"And then?"  
"Then Monroe killed all my pack, we just wanted to live our lives like everyone else, like human beings, we did not hurt anyone, but she considers us monsters for who we are." Alec looked at him. "They told you something about this story I guess - if you're here"  
Ian nodded. "Something" He cleared his throat. "The Dread Doctors killed my brother after turning it into a chimera," he said.  
Alec looked at him with an expression of regret. "I'm sorry"  
"I heard it was a chimera to do this to you," Ian added.  
He nodded. "Yes, a gift from Monroe," he mumbled.  
Ian was silent for a moment. "Why does she hate you so much?" he asked then.  
Alec shrugged. "She's afraid of us, she hates us because she thinks we're monsters, maybe we are, or at least some of us ... But after all, not even human beings are all saints, good or bad, they've always existed, of any kind. It does not matter what you are, in this case, what's matter is what you do with the weapons you have"Alec inhaled" We have fangs and claws, they have weapons and wolfbane and chimeras, we use them to protect us each other, to protect those who must be protected ... they use them to kill us. " He looked at his hands again. "Now I do not have it anymore," he mumbled. "Something to protect my friends with. I will not be able to fight with them, I will not be able to help them"

Ian stood watching him and then sighed "I think ... they're looking for a solution, you'll see you get your powers back." he tried to reassure him. "Now rest" he then got up.  
"Hey Ian" Alec called him "Thanks" he did when he turned to look at him. "Your brother has not had a chance to choose how to use his powers, but I'm sure if he had, he would be here to fight with us"  
Ian gave a stretched smile. "I believe so, too. That's why I'm here to take his place," he whispered, before leaving the room.

  
 

*

The men stood up at the entrance to the Monroe. "Rest," she muttered. "The plan succeeded.The trap has been triggered.We know from our infiltrator that the poison synthesized by us works.We now expect to know from him the outcome of the mission" Monroe looked for their scientist. "Those samples?"  
"I tried to duplicate the subject's DNA, but - it did not work"  
"We will need more samples, then"  
The doctor looked at her confused. "I thought the subject was dead," he whispered.  
"Yes, but not his DNA, or at least not completely," she said. "After all, the genetic heritage is handed down from father to son, from brother to brother ... isnt it, doctor?" He nodded slowly. "I'll take your samples to you soon, do not worry," she grinned.  
At that moment, her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out and smiled at the contents of the message.

 

_They're dead. All of them._

  
 

"here we are , the leader of the counterparty is dead, now we are ready for the final phase"  
"Madam - what exactly is the plan?"

"You'll see, Mc Phew, you'll see soon, the dawn of a new era - of which the supernatural will not be a part of"

  
 

*

"Why are we in the morgue?" Isaac asked.  
"Shh," Melissa told him, and the boy fell silent.  
"It's the only way not to let the hunters know you're here"  
"We have an advantage now," Kira muttered.  
"They think we're dead," Scott added.  
"Even if they do not find corpses, they may think it's becauser of the explosion," said Lydia.  
"This gives us the opportunity to focus on the most imminent danger" Stiles looked at the group.  
"The end of the world" Mason whispered weakly, clinging to Corey.  
"In this regard, there are some news" Maya looked at Scott.  
"Good news?"  
"Nothing in reference to the end of the world can be considered a 'good news'," Stiles grimaced, "but if we can avoid to die all – anyway, how will it work, will there be a big explosion, or will we be swallowed by a black hole? Or will it be just -BAM, all dead, survivors, start procreation again? " Everyone turned to look at him. "Okay, we're not yet in the stage where I can joke about, received"  
Melissa snorted. "Now be quiet, here I am trying to save lives." Melissa dabbed Nolan's wound, while the extracted bullet lay abandoned on the operating table.  
"Will he recover?" Lisa stammered, sitting on another table.

"He will need a transfusion, he has lost too much blood" She looked at them "Some volunteer?"  
"I'll do it" Lisa immediately offered.  
"Someone who is not about to faint?" Melissa asked again.  
"I will do it," said Lydia. "We have the same powers, maybe it can be more useful" Melissa nodded, making a sign to approach her. "Isaac, you're the only werewolf in health right now, come here and absorb his pain, it will give us more time" He nodded obediently. "Okay, Malia, Scott, you still have to get better, so stay here and rest ... Corey, Lisa, idem, Mason and Maya, you are the only ones who can go out freely, so go get food, water and blankets. Kira, Stles, you can go. Better not to leave the loft discovered with just a human being and a wolf without powers inside "  
"Received"  
"Please, keep a low profile"

  
 

*

"Stiles, if you drive like that, they'll find out for sure," Kira sarcastic mumbled.  
"Why? How am I driving?"  
"We're not in a 007 movie, turn down that hood, take that scarf off your mouth, and take off those glasses, they're not even yours- and get up, you'll soon touch the pedals with your butt"  
"Hey, look, I'm not the one who's supposed to be roasted dead here," he mumbled as he sat up properly and tossed Nolan's glasses into the backseat. Then he pulled the scarf "How can Isaac carry this stuff ?!" He snorted.  
Kira smiled, then heard a noise that caught her attention. "Did you hear something?" Stiles asked nervously, alternating his gaze from her to the street. "A roar - it seemed at least"  
"Someone we know?"  
"No"  
"Very bad news"  
"Where did it come from?" Stiles asked, pressing even more on the accelerator.  
"From the loft"  
"Really amazing"

  
 

*

 

Ian put the phone in his pocket after writing to Monroe. What was he doing? He thought as he walked up and down the loft. The double game with who had sent him there to play the double game? Was it possible?

He only knew that he did not know what to think anymore. The supernatural had killed his brother, which was the reason his family had been destroyed. So many families had been destroyed. Monroe had a large following. She was willing to do anything to wipe out the supernatural from the face of the earth. Still, he there ... he saw only kids. Some kids like him. Engaged in a war they did not want. In a war they wanted to stop. They had just tried to blow them up. But he had not seen hatred or desire for revenge in their eyes. He had seen only pain and worry, anguish and sadness for their friends. _We use them to protect each other._ Alec had said. Alec did not want his powers for himself, he did not want them for power, he did not want them to hurt. _Now I do not have it anymore. Something to protect my friends with._

Stiles had joined the FBI because he felt he had to do something to protect people. He was human, but he was ready to take the field by their side even at the cost of dying.  
_First we think about saving his life, then we will take his powers back._ Scott had said. For them it was not a war of humans against supernatural, it was a war to protect the people they loved. Their life, their salvation, came before everything. Before hatred, revenge, war itself. Ian understood that if it were up to them, there would be no war. He understood it from their speeches, from their looks. They did not want to kill, they did not want to hurt anyone.  
He had heard them talk of hope, just before, and well - if there was someone who had hope, those were them. And if someone could still have hope for the future, in the middle of a war, in front of all that hatred and those dead, then he could not deserve all that.

Ian was invaded by guilt at that realization. It was his fault that they all nearly died. He had agreed to act as a spy, but perhaps that could have been useful now. He could find out something about Monroe's plans. He could find out what they had done to Alec. His eyes widened and he decided to leave the loft. Monroe had given him the coordinates of the bunker, could sneak in and investigate. Nobody would have suspected him. He lowered the hood over his head and left.

  
A rustle made him stop a few meters from the loft. He looked around, then started walking again. There was a crunching and rustling of leaves from the neighboring trees. Ian stopped again. "Who is there?" He gasped. "Isaac? Stiles?" He looked around.  
He gasped. Maybe it was better to go back inside. He turned his back on the trees and took a few steps back. He saw with a tail in the eye a shadow splash out of the trees, and he felt something pull his ankles causing him to fall to the ground. He slapped his chin firmly on the ground and groaned, while someone grabbed him by the jacket forcing him to turn around. He found himself staring into two golden eyes and all he saw were fangs when that thing growled a few inches from his face.

  
Ian gave a strangled verse and opened his eyes, reacting instinctively. When what looked like a boy of his age, but that was supposed to be a chimera, he hypothesized, started to raise his claws, lifted a leg and kicked him on his chest, rolling him back, as he snapped to his feet, running toward the woods. He could not take it straight into the loft, not where Alec was helpless yet weak. He had already hurt enough of them.  
He dodged running a branch and slumped against a tree. Why did a chimera have to take it out on him? He seemed to have understood that there were only against werewolves. Then suddenly the realization hit him. That thing ... had been created from the DNA of his brother. His little brother ... Suddenly he felt nauseated at the idea that Monroe used his brother to create monsters.

  
He gasped, trying to catch his breath and tried to listen. Suddenly he caught a light growl. He looked around. Nothing. But he could still hear it. Then he looked up slowly.

  
And he was there. Climbing on top of the tree. He growled again, before leaping down. Ian snapped back. "What do you want from me?!" he screamed in panic.  
He backed away again.

 

"Kill you," he muttered, snarling. "She will kill me if I do not kill you" Ian's eyes widened at the almost whining tone with which the chimera had said the last sentence.  
Then he was struck by the fact that he was probably talking about Monroe. "Killing .. _me_?" blew breathlessly.  
"I can not ... controll it," he said again. He growled again and hurled himself at Ian, who tried to shoot aside but he, foreseeing his move, grabbed him by the flaps of his jacket, slamming him against a tree.  
Ian gasped breathlessly. He looked at those yellow eyes. They were the same. The same as that night. He remembered seeing them, hiding in his corner, trying not to make any noise. Forget even to breathe. He had heard the growls. He had heard the screams of his parents. There, hidden, covering his head with his hands. He had seen them when that thing had flung itself against the window to escape. Emitting a complaint, turning to look at the house one last time. Crossing Ian's eyes before fleeing. That thing, which he now knew to be his brother. He had seen his eyes, probably in the only instant David had had of lucidity, before leaving forever.

  
But the eyes in front of him did not have anything of clear. So he closed his, expecting the pain. Expecting the end.

  
Then he heard a hiss and a moan, and the chimera let go. So he forced himself to open his eyes. He saw the boy kneeling on the ground, his left hand clinging to his right wrist where there was no longer a hand. He shivered, seeing it on the ground at his feet.  
Before anyone pulled him to get his attention. Upset crossed Kira's gaze, the sword bleeding and bloodied, in a defensive position.  
"Ian!" Stiles pulled him further away. "Are you alright?"

  
 

"Yes..no .. I-" The chimera growled. "They said there was nobody there," he mumbled. The chimera backed away, while Stiles opened his eyes swallowing.  
"Kira, we can not let us discover"  
"I know," she mumbled. "But I do not like the idea"  
The chimera growled again, preparing to jump against Kira, but she hit him with a lightning strike. "When did you learn to do that?" Stiles said, hit.  
"Skinwalkers' merit" Kira approached the collapsed chimera on the ground. "What do we do now?" asked.  
"I do not want to kill him," Stiles whispered.  
"Me neither"  
Ian looked at the two, eyes wide open. "Do you want to let him go?" he asked weakly. "I understand what you're feeling, but what you're fighting is a war, you can not get out clean." Stiles started to open his mouth when a voice interrupted him.

 

"Ki..ill..me" All three turned to look at the chimera on the ground. "Please ... I do not want to be ... like that ... _please_ "  
Kira and Stiles looked at each other. Ian looked at the golden eyes of the chimera, catching the same flash of momentary clarity that he had caught long ago in his brother's eyes. Perhaps David too had looked at him that time by tacitly asking him to kill him. To stop him. Because the chimeras did not have that choice. They were experiments. Created in the laboratory. Drugged to lose their minds. So that they were only weapons aimed at carrying out their mission.  
Ian thought of his brother. Had he felt like that too? For the two years before he died? Did he consider himself a monster? Had he wished to die? He had not had anyone. He wanted to spare his brother that pain. And he wanted to spare it to that boy he did not know slumped at his feet.  
"I'll do it," he said then reaching for Kira. "Ian ..."  
"It's not life if you can not choose which side you're on," he mumbled, his eyes watery. "It's like he's already dead." Kira looked at him, holding out her katana slowly. "And it's not life if you stay still without doing anything while others are suffering"

Stiles and Kira looked down, while Ian, the iron grip on the handle of the katana, slid the blade into the chest of the chimera, while the tears wet his face. Tears for his brother, for his destiny, for those who had lived the same, for that war, for having been used, for having done what he had done.  
He crossed the golden eyes of the chimera as they faded back blue, and while his lips let out a sigh of relief, lips that articulated a faint 'thank you'

  
 

*

"They're coming back," Stiles announced, returning to sit on the couch next to Ian and Kira. "Everyone, it's not safe to stay in the hospital"  
"How's Nolan?"  
"He will recover" Stiles turned to look at Ian. "How are you?"  
He only nodded his head, still shocked and thoughtful. "He ... said that Monroe ordered him to kill _me_ "  
Kira looked at him confused. "Why she..-?"  
He looked at Stiles. "I ... I actually have a theory, which is why I preferred to bring you here." Ian looked at him. "Those samples: Monroe used the samples that the Doctores had of your brother, which is what allows her to create chimeras that are not failures, which allows her to control them and make them a manipulable weapon. But those samples... are not infinite "  
Kira's eyes widened. "Does she want to use Ian to synthesize other samples?"  
Stiles nodded weakly. "He and David have the same genetic heritage, it was Ian who made David a genetic chimera by giving him his kidney, so - probably Ian would be a successful chimera, from which to estract new samples, to continue creating her small army. "  
"It's horrible," Kira said.  
"She's a monster," Ian echoed. "We have to stop her," he added.  
"If only we had that serum," Stiles snorted.  
"Which serum?"  
"The serum they injected in Alec, the one synthesized by Theo's blood, what makes human supernatural creatures. We could analyze it and find out if there is an antidote, but we could use it in our turn on the chimeras"  
"We will not have to kill them, we could make them human again," Kira whispered hopefully.  
Ian stood up. Stiles followed him with his eyes. "Where are you going?"  
"Ah uhm- I'm tired, I think I'll go to sleep," he mumbled, climbing the spiral staircase. "Night"  
"Night," Stiles whispered weakly, watching him disappear.  
"Will he be okay?" Ian heard Kira ask Stiles, as he opened the window.  
"He had to assimilate so many things all together, but he'll be fine, he's a determined, stubborn guy," Stiles replied. "But he must be protected, now he is a target as much as we are"

  
Ian lowered himself downstairs, helping himself with the eaves and looked at them from the window. If what was needed was to recover that serum, it is what he would do. Even at the cost of dying trying.

 

_*_

There was a tense silence in the loft that night, while Melissa was there to take care of Nolan. Once medicated they decided it was better to move him to the loft. Even Corey and Lisa were there, now almost completely restored. Alec had finally stood up and now he was sitting in the armchair. Malia, now almost completely healed, was half-lying on the sofa, with her head on Scott's legs. Kira had told them what had happened in the woods and Lydia had just finished reporting to them what they had discovered about the vase.  
"So we just have to find out who stole it and opened it, and put all the world's evil back into a stupid vessel," Malia said, snorting. "Seems easy"  
"Except we do not know where to start looking," Kira muttered.  
"Listen, I thought about it," Stiles interrupted slowly, wringing his hands, thus attracting the attention of the group  
"About what?" Scott asked weakly, looking up at him.  
"To all this story, and about the Vase, if it is true that its openness was not destinated, then all the signs that have come to us should somehow lead us towards the solution, right?" Stiles bit his lip and looked at his friends one by one. "It all started with Lydia's paint, okay, that symbol, dates, and a name ... Maya's name ... She was guided to us by her dreams, and we were guided to her by Lydia, and now we know why. You are the only one who can close the Vase that someone has opened up, so far we are all in agreement right? " recaptured Stiles. Lydia nodded weakly. "Then there are the Peacemakers, the symbol was theirs, so _we_ went looking for them." Here his tone wavered.

"I do not understand," Isaac mumbled. "Are you trying to tell us something?"  
Stiles snorted. "Unlike about Maya, we had only one symbol, and it was a pure coincidence that Liam and Theo met that hunter and that Theo recognized the symbol ... If it had not been for that coincidence, we would never have gone to them. We would have known of their existence only now, that Maya has recovered her memory "  
Mason frowned. "You mean that unlike Maya that was led to us, and we to her, it was not so for the Peacemakers?"  
"Why were the dates _inside_ the symbol?" Stiles insisted.  
"I still do not understand," Malia mumbled, looking at the others to find out if she was the only one or not.  
"Okay listen to me, we went to them because we thought they knew something"  
"It's like that," Maya said. "They are the custodians of the Vase"

"So they're the ones who cover the secret," Stiles added. "So, if the only ones who knew about the Vase and its location were Maya and the Peacemakers, and Maya is not our Pandora, then ..." Stiles left the sentence in suspended.  
Scott opened his eyes "It was one of them"  
"The dates in the symbol, the fact that we were first guided to Maya, just wanted to make us open our eyes about this"  
"Wait, so why would Maya give that clue to Theo and Liam?" Isaac snapped. "About the Rocky Mountains, and about the ... river?"

Maya opened her eyes wide. "The message did not point to the Peacemakers. ' _What you are looking for'_ it said ... it indicated the position of the Vase," she exclaimed.  
"And if Theo's idea about Canada is right, and that's also the Peacemakers' den, then we found our culprit ... or culprits," Stiles concluded.  
"Damn it," Scott exclaimed as he stood up. "Theo and Liam ...!"  
Lydia looked at him, releasing a trembling breath. "We sent them straight to the enemy," she whispered.

  
 

_TO BE CONTINUED._


	27. Being the baits

_Tuu tuu tuu_

_Tuu tuu tuu_

_Sorry, the number you have dialed is not available at the moment, please try again later_

  
Scott closed the call for the tenth time, with a worried sigh, slipping his phone into his pocket as he turned to look at everyone else standing in the middle of the room.  
"Nothing?" Lydia asked worriedly.  
Scott shook his head. "Neither of them answers"  
"Okay, there's a logical explanation for this, they could be in a place with no signal, or the phone could just be dead," Mason suggested, unable to hide the concern in his voice tough.  
"It's been days since we last talk to them," Isaac mumbled.  
Stiles put his hands in his hair, sighing. "If what we have supposed is true ..." he began.  
"No, I do not even want to think about it," Malia exclaimed. "They two ... they are strong, it is not that easy to get rid of them"  
"Yeah, right," Stiles added, trying to ease the tension "Then we're talkin' about Theo, not even Hell and his sister's ghost managed to get him out, let alone a group of fanatical hunters are enough"  
"This does not change that they're in danger" Corey whispered "We have to do something"  
"We also know where the vase is now," Maya added  
"Well ... we know your message pointed to the Vase, but we do not know what place it indicates ... Not even Theo and Liam knew this accurately, they basically went blind," Stiles pointed out.  
"And then what do we plan to do?" Lydia snapped, "Going all out to Canada? Without a destination? Without knowing what awaits us? Without knowing if Theo and Liam are actually in danger?"  
"Yeah, maybe they just got lost in the Rockies Mountains," Alec joked.  
"Okay" Scott finally sighed "Three days, we'll wait three days, if we do not have news we'll organize a research team"  
Maya sighed, narrowing her eyes, before casting a worried glance at her right wrist, where the number 42 was gleaming dark and threatening.

  
 

*

Ian took half an hour to reach the bunker site. When he arrived, he noticed a guard man outside the entrance, with his rifle over his shoulder. When he noticed him, he raised his weapon against him. "Who are you? Identify yourself"  
"Wow buddy, lower that toy, you could hurt someone," the boy muttered, unimpressioned, raising his hands as he approached.  
"Who are you" repeated the man in uniform, impassive  
"Ian Harrington, I have a meeting with Tamora Monroe"  
The man looked at him for a moment from head to toe, before lowering his rifle with a grin. "Ah, so it's you, our little infiltrator." He nodded to him, resting his hand on a scanner near the door, which emitted a sharp beep. The door opened with a creak, and Ian took a few steps forward, without losing sight of the hunter. "Last door on the left" the man addressed him. Ian entered without another word.  
That place was as he had imagined. A narrow corridor with doors on the sides. Beyond a half-closed he could see huge shelves full of weapons. He passed a closed room beyond which low and excited voices came.  
He certainly did not expect that silence. Where was this phantom army? Ian opened the door that had been indicated to him. It was a small deposit, overflowing with boxes and parcels. Monroe was sitting on an empty desk, except for a small lit lamp that was the only source of light that illuminated the room. "Here is my little soldier" Monroe greeted him with an amused smile.  
He looked at her impassively. He had to play his cards well. He had to pretend to not know anything about her plans for him. Monroe stood up to him and put a hand on his shoulder. "Thanks to you we took out the biggest part of Scott McCall's army," she said with another smile.  
Ian shrugged. "It was easy," he mumbled. "What was the chimera for?" he asked then.  
Monroe looked at him intently, still smiling at her lips. "Get rid of the rest, but apparently it failed. What happened? "  
He could not tell her that it was Kira. She must have died in the explosion. "Isaac killed her"

Monroe gave him a surprised and confused look "Isaac, it's not a name I know"  
"An old friend of McCall's from France," Ian replied.  
"I see. I guess he's the last remaining werewolf of them in Beacon Hills." Ian nodded. "And the body?"  
"Buried somewhere in the woods," he replied promptly. It was true. They could not allow hunters to retrieve it or identify the murder weapon. Kira's sword. "What's the plan now, ma'am?" Ian asked.  
"For the moment there's nothing you can do, keep going with them and refer me every move, you'll know by yourself when it's time to join me," she said with a grin.

Ian assumed a confused expression. _What did she mean?_ He did not like that sentence at all. But he nodded silently. He had to find a way to get his hands on those serums.  
"Madam-" he mumbled suddenly. He sighed. "I found out ... from them ... that the chimeras are created thanks to my brother's genetic information"  
Monroe opened her eyes slightly to that "Well, I did not think they would have discovered it"  
"They are quite informed about the research of ... they call them Dread Doctors ?"  
"Well, having Theo Reaken on their side will certainly have helped," Monroe muttered.  
Ian had no idea who this Theo Reaken was, but he did not care at the moment. "Is it true?" asked.  
"If even it were?" Monroe asked cautious. That was not an information she wanted to share. Ian hint a slight smile. "I think my brother would be honored to serve such a noble purpose"

_I deserve an Oscar for this_ , he found himself thinking. It could not have sounded more convincing and proud. Monroe seemed to think like him, because she gave a mischievous smile, turning to the desk and opening the right drawer. He took out a syringe containing an amber liquid. "Is it this?"  
"Yes, it only works if injected intravenously, it increases aggression and stabilizes the physical condition of neo-chimeras."  
"What happens if it is injected into a human being?" Ian asked, exuding curiosity.  
"We have not tested it on humans," Monroe replied as if it were an horrible thing. As if it were not worse to turn innocent kids into killer chimeras.  
"But is not this the one with which you deprive them of supernatural powers?"  
"No" She rummaged again in the drawer before extracting a vial, containing a dark red liquid. "This is the poison in question" She showed it to the boy holding it between her thumb and forefinger. "We created the chimeras as weapons, but also to test this poison on them, many died unfortunately before we got the perfect formula, then we sent chimeras against some packs to find out if the poison worked even with the true werewolves, like Alec, and it worked, then we tested them on other creatures, like the Liam Dunbar's pack's empath, and still gave positive results. " Monroe seemed entranced.  
Ian did not even know who this Liam Dunbar was, but he was sure that with empathetic she was referring to the blond girl who had been saved by Scott and the others from the abandoned factory. "So your plan is to infect everyone with this poison?" he asked at that point, while Monroe put the two serums back in their place.  
"It would be impossible" Ian was amazed by the hunter's response. "There are tens of thousands of supernatural creatures all over the world, it would be an impossible task to poison all of them, not to mention the fact that a poisoned wolf can always be bitten back by an alpha to regain its powers"  
"But then-?"  
"Do not worry,right now the numbers will be against us, but soon things will change, you'll see. Soon the evil that infects our world will disappear "

  
 

*

"Hey" Theo's voice roused him from the sleep he had slowly fallen into. He looked up at him, his eyes drowsy, noting a few seconds later the piece of bread that he offered him "Are you hungry?"  
"As hell," Liam mumbled, sitting up, while Theo sat next to him, after casting a quick glance at Grace, who was sleeping beside them, a few steps from Hayden.  
Shawn grabbed a pile of sticks and threw them on the fire to stoke it, before getting up and away from the camp "I'm on guard tonight, you sleep, we'll probably arrive in town tomorrow afternoon"  
Theo uttered a raised moan "It was about time, I thought we would not have arrived any more"  
Liam chuckled, before biting his piece of bread. Theo took his dead phone out of his pocket.

"It's been days since we hear the others, they'll be worried," he whispered.  
"As soon as we can, we'll call them, I'm sure it's all right," Liam assured him. Theo sighed, moving his gaze from Liam to his hands, studying them carefully. Liam followed his gaze. "Are you still thinking about the other night?"

  
Theo did not answer, but looked away. Liam sighed. "I thought about it too," he said. "To what Shawn said, about the fact that the waves infect those who already have a seed of evil in themselves." Liam paused. "Actually, I think it's more a psychological factor"

  
Theo looked at him. "What do you mean?"  
"Think about Grace, she's only a child, before she lost control, what harm do you think she could ever done? I refuse to believe there's anything bad in her, but she's been abandoned, her father treated her like a monster, he pushed her away, maybe it was at that moment that the evil got the upper hand, "Liam suggested.  
"At a time when she was ... weaker?" Theo asked.  
Liam nodded. "More psychologically weak" Then he added "You too, you did not resent the whole journey of the waves until that evening, and maybe it's no accident that it happened after saying those things, about how you hate not being in control, maybe at that moment you let yourself go to frustration and you were infected "

Theo remained thoughtful, then nodded. "You say it's not so much about _being_ evil but more about _feeling_ evil?"  
"It's just a hypothesis," Liam mumbled. "If it were something rooted in our nature, we could not get rid of it, right?"  
"It's true"  
"Grace was convinced she was a monster, she was destroyed by her father's reaction ... but we told her that it was up to her, that she could choose, that she could go to her father and prove him that she was always her, and this has freed her " Liam said, more and more convinced.  
"I was afraid of not being in control about what was happening, and since I associate not having control of the old me, there was a fear of going back to what I was once ... but you reminded me that I could do it" Theo added thoughtfully. Then he looked at Liam. "Maybe it does not have to do with the anchor" Liam looked at him confused "You said that probably the anger did not infect you because you were with me, right?" Liam nodded, remembering the conversation he'd had the week before. "But maybe it does not depend only on this. Think about it, what is it that really holds you back?"  
He looked at Liam, who bit his thoughtful lip. "I do not know- I do not want to lose control, I do not want to risk hurting someone, I do not want-" Liam stopped. "I do not want to lower myself to their level, I want to prove to Monroe that we're not the monsters, that's what I told you-" He stopped.  
"What?"  
"The day of the graduation ceremony" completed, wide-eyed. "Then you said that thing"

"Yes, I remember, we have overcome it now," Theo said, rolling his eyes  
"Not ... _that_ , remember what you told me before?"  
"Let me sleep?" Theo suggested. Liam gave him a sideways glance. "Okay" Theo paused to think "I told you I love you .... because you never lose hope?" Theo muttered almost embarrassed.  
"Hope!" Liam exclaimed, causing Theo to jump.  
"Are you crazy?"  
"No, or I do not think so ... But the story of Pandora's Box ...- it is said that when all the evils came out of the vase, only one thing remained on the bottom, Hope!" Theo widened his eyes, looking at him, struck. "What's up? You know I like history"  
"You are a genius"  
"I did not think I would ever hear these words come out of your mouth"  
"Neither do I," Theo admitted.  
"So this is it, do you understand?" Liam exclaimed, having hit him on the side with a fist. "It's not about being worthy, good or bad ... it's about having hope or not"  
"That's why you have not been infected, and probably none of your pack" Theo said amused "There are no more optimistic and trusting people than you, you are almost at the limit of the ridiculous"  
"Look, you are too, if you managed to get rid of it"  
Theo snorted "In my case has nothing to do with being optimistic" with a slight smile on his lips "Those words would not have had effect, if someone else had told me"  
Liam looked at him questioningly "What do you mean?"

  
 

Theo sighed almost halfway between exasperated and amused. "Liam ... you freed me from the prison where I had been closed, you wanted me by your side, you trusted me when nobody did, you saved my life when I deserved to die, you wanted me in your pack in spite of the evil I had done to you, you gave me your friendship, you made me your anchor, you chose me as mate ... and hell, you fell in love with me despite all I am ... _you_ are my hope” he whispered, looking down at the last words, and then slowly raise it a few seconds later, crossing Liam's eyes, a slight redness on the cheeks. "No one else could free me from evil, only you"

  
A faint smile appeared on Liam's lips, who approached the other, touching their foreheads. "Did I already tell you that I love you?" he whispered, narrowing his eyes.  
Theo nodded, giggling, "Yes, but keep doing it, I like hearing you say it," he leaned forward to kiss him, his lips still leaning into a smile. They were still kissing when Theo caught a glimpse on himself.  
He opened his eyes, crossing Grace's gaze on them, still lying with her chin resting on her crossed arms, with a sardonic smile on her face. "What are you doing?" Theo asked her amused, pulling away from Liam and making him turn towards the child.  
"I saw you," she said, amused.  
Liam laughed too "You should sleep, rather," he said.  
"Look who's talking," she said, sitting down. Theo raised an eyebrow.  
She looked at them again, still smiling. "Can I sleep with you?" she then asked brazenly. Theo snorted amused. Then he patted the ground between him and Liam. "Come"  
She obeyed cheerfully, literally diving into each other, who had slowly relaxed. "Now sleep though," Liam told her.  
"Mmh-mh" she said "Wake me up when you kiss again"  
"Count on it"

  
 

*

He could not get his hands on those samples, but he had found out where they were stored. He also discovered that the bunker was strangely uncrowded. This made him think that the hunters were busy elsewhere. He would try again. He also had to find out what Monroe had in mind. Something in her expression, something in her speeches did not predict Ian anything good. With these thoughts in mind, he slowly returned to the loft, coming back from where he had come out.

*

"Okay, here we are, the native country of our order is the one over there," Shawn said, looking out from the ledge at the top of the summit, pointing to a small country stuck in the valley.  
"I imagined it bigger," Liam said skeptically.  
"In reality it is," the hunter muttered "Only you can not see"  
The other four looked at him questioningly "What does that mean?" Hayden asked.  
"Underneath there are endless tunnels that stretch across the entire surface of the country, as I told you, ours is a secret order that has always existed. Let's say that the country you see is more ...a cover "  
Theo's eyes widened. "You know, I guess we would never have found you if we had not met by chance," he observed.  
"There are no coincidences," Shawn said only, before turning their backs on them and walking along the path leading down to the valley. "It was fate that things go like this"  
"Do you believe in this bullshit?" Theo teased him, following him, with the others behind him.  
"Don't you?" Shawn replies quietly. "My family has handed down for generations the burden of protecting a millenarian Vessel by maintaining the balance between good and evil, I was born for this, I was born believing in this, if it is not Fate, then what is it?"  
"But- 'if you believe it's fate, you do not allow exceptions"  
Shawn gave him a confused look. "What do you mean?"  
"Well ... would you kill your best friend if you would found out he's a killer only to continue to walk the path that you think Fate wanted for you?" he asked seriously.  
Shawn stood for a moment, looking at him, with frowns and frowns. "Yes, if I had to"  
Theo gave him a single indecipherable look before dropping the speech and passing it. Hayden stopped beside Shawn. "Would you really do it?" she asked him in a low voice.  
"The order is my reason to live, the reason I was born.. Follow the code is the only thing that makes me going on" With this he turned his back and turned away.  
Hayden turned to look at Liam, who stood beside her next to Grace. "I hope he never finds out about Theo," she whispered. "Or about me," Grace grumbled sad.

When they descended into the village, the relaxed atmosphere that was breathed mainly affected the group. Liam looked around, eyebrows frowned in a suspicious expression. "It seems that nothing has happened here," Theo observed, as if reading his thoughts.  
Even Shawn looked surprised. "By now, the evils should be spread everywhere, we are close to the fourth wave," he said confused.  
"What's happening exactly in the rest of the world?" Hayden suddenly asked.  
"Slowly the waves increase, their individual effects add up, the closer you get to day x, the more you get infected with more evils at the same time, it will not happen to everyone, but some people will be infected by anger, despair, from fear ... all in the same instant. From this moment on, the end begins "  
"And here I thought it was already started," Theo muttered, rolling his eyes.  
"And let's hear, why this corner of the world looks pristine?" Liam said sarcastically.  
Shawn looked around, but did not know what to say. "I do not know, maybe our order acts as a screen?" he suggested, but he did not seem convinced either. He would have known if there really was such a thing.  
"Maybe they're all a bunch of incurable optimists," Theo suggested.  
Shawn and Hayden turned to look at him "What do you mean?"  
"Liam thinks that hope is the only thing that can overcome the evils"  
"It's not _me_ " he protested "It's what the legend says, and the facts show it"  
"Is it possible?" Hayden asked Shawn  
"Well, if hope is really locked up in the Vase with the evils, it should be out too, so it can be an explanation for why someone manages to free themselves from possession"  
"It's good news, is not it?"  
"Not really" replied Shawn "It is useless to know, relying on someone's hope is something few people can do, a friend or family member, someone who can understand the reasons behind a blind anger, despair or fear. .. the only way is to find the vase and close it again, and to do so, we must consult with the order before "

  
 

"I see," Hayden said disappointed.  
A few minutes later they had left the village and walked through the forest. "Let me guess, there's an entrance hidden in the middle of the forest," Theo said ironically  
"No, it's a stable beyond this clearing," Shawn muttered  
"Are you serious?" Liam said.  
"What did you think to find?"  
"What do I know- an underground cave, a disquieting lair, something secret"  
Shawn rolled his eyes. "You've seen too many films, we're hunters, most of the time we're out around the world _hunting_ , like now, and we use the base only for meetings and moments of crisis like this," he explained.  
"But if they're all around, who do you think you'll find?"  
"There will be someone at the base, I'm interested in Jung being there"  
"Who is Jung?"  
"The boss currently in charge, he is the one who coordinates us, that's why he usually stays at the base.”  
They proceeded for another mile, until Shawn motioned for them to stop. "Here we are" He pointed to a large building, almost a shed.  
"There's no one on guard?" Theo asked.  
"No more than a guard at the entrance, as I said, nobody knows about our existence, and anyway we do not do anything in there that can attract some curious' attention"

"It looks so ... _peaceful_ " Theo gave Liam a sideways glance at the joke.  
"In reality it's smart, the best way to hide is to be in plain sight without being in the eye," he commented.  
Shawn nodded, taking a few steps forward toward the building. "Wait," Liam suddenly said. Everyone turned to look at him. "I- I think it's better than just the three of us go in," he said, pointing to himself, Theo and Shawn. Hayden looked at him as if she wanted to protest. "I do not want to involve Grace," he said, giving Hayden a knowing look. "And I do not want to leave her alone, and this was my and Theo's mission, and we obviously need Shawn "  
"Got it," Hayden muttered. "I'm not necessary"  
Liam approached her. "Of course you are, I entrust Grace to you"  
"No, no, I want to come with you !!" the little girl protested.  
"Hey" Theo interjected, kneeling in front of her "We'll be back soon, we just have to have a chat with some boring dudes, then we'll go home, all together"  
Grace looked at him wide-eyed. "Really?"  
"Sure"  
"Promise me?"  
"I give you my word of honor," Theo said seriously, putting a hand on his heart. Grace smiled as he returned to his feet, stroking her head lightly.  
Liam took Hayden by the arm pulling her toward him because the others did not hear. "If something happens, if you do not have our news, for any suspicious movement, take Grace and get out of here"  
"What are you sa-?"  
"Promise me you will do as I told you"  
"Liam, I can't-"  
"Hayden, please," he begged her.  
Hayden looked at him before sighing, "Okay," she said. "If you promise to me that everything will be all right, because I do not even want to think about an eventuality other than this"

  
 

"Well, what can I say – _les us hope_?"  
"No theme jokes until it's water under the bridge, remember the rule?"  
Liam laughed "Stay hidden," he simply said, before bending over Grace and hugging her. "Obey Hayden, understand?" He told her. She nodded, squeezing him.  
"Can we go now?" Shawn called them, a few feet ahead of them. Theo and Liam followed him, under the eyes of Grace and Hayden.  
"Be careful," Grace murmured, her voice like a whisper "... _daddies_ "  
She was not sure they'd heard her, but Hayden could almost swear she'd heard them smile.

  
*  
 

As Shawn had said there was only one man standing at the front door. When he heard footsteps, he raised the weapon at them, before noticing Shawn. "Shawn," he muttered, lowering it a few inches. "You're back." Then he slid his eyes on Theo and Liam, standing behind his companion. "And these two?" he asked suspiciously.  
"They're with me, I need you to let them in, Will"

The man opened his eyes slightly. "Did you bring two werewolves _here_?" he snapped.  
"It's an important issue, I need to see Jung," Shawn insisted.  
Will did not seem particularly convinced. He looked back at Theo and Liam, his lips tight. "Well," he snapped, returning, however, to point the weapon at them. "Show me your eyes first"  
Shawn rolled his eyes "Do you think I did not check them already?"  
But the man insisted. "If they have nothing to hide, show them to me"  
Shawn looked at the two, waving them to obey. Theo snorted, before making his golden eyes sparkle. Liam did the same. "How did you get those eyes?" Will asked, keeping the weapon pointed at Liam.  
Shawn raised his hand to grab the rifle and lower it. "He's a real alpha, Will, he did not kill for those eyes, he's Scott McCall's beta, you know who I'm talking about, we can trust" Will seemed to weigh the words for a moment, until they saw the tension disappear from his shoulders, and his arms spread inert at his sides. "Good," he muttered, "But Jung will not like it." Still, he moved from the door, letting them in.

  
The building was huge, it was practically empty, consisting of only one huge room. The only thing occupying the space was a large round table, around which three men were gathered at the time. Four others were standing a few yards away from them in a circle, talking tightly, their arms slung over their shoulders.  
When the three approached, silence fell. Theo looked at them cautiously, and then examined the surrounding area. There did not seem to be an escape route. The windows were at least five meters above them, and they were so small that not even Grace would have passed. With a sigh, he returned to look at the table in front of them.

  
 

"Shawn" the man sitting in the middle between the two said, getting up "I was not expecting you so soon" There was something in the tone of the man he did not like. Theo could clearly sense the baffled oozing from him, mixed with something else he could not identify.  
"There were some developments, and I thought I'd have to report right away," Shawn said, then turning to Theo and Liam.  
"Who are our guests?" he asked what they could imagine to be the famous Jung given the solemn tone with which Shawn had spoke to him. Liam had imagined it older. Instead he was a tall, well-placed man, bald but with a thin beard that covered his jaw, a little younger than Argent probably.  
Shawn cleared his voice "Werewolves, from Scott McCall's pack"  
"Werewolves?" the man seated on the right of Jung interposed himself, doing to shoot up. Jung motioned for him to calm down, and the man sat down again. "Scott McCall you say, and why did you bring them here? You know that it is forbidden to divulge information about the order" However Theo did not feel reproach in his voice, but more a sense of ... waiting?  
"There were developments about the Vessel, sir. McCall's pack received precise information about it, through a Banshee, and they had a contact with the Maya "At those words Jung opened his eyes and the men in the room began to talk excitedly among them. "This is not a calamity, sir, someone stole the Vessel and opened it," Shawn added in a tone of agitation. "According to the information in their possession, there are only forty days left"

  
Jung remained for a few moments staring at him. "What do you propose?"

Shawn was almost stunned by the apparent calm of his superior. He moved his head from him to the others. "Call everyone, we have to alert them and put them in search of the Vessel, the culprit must be found and the Vessel closed"  
Jung laughed lightly "In your opinion, I would not have noticed if the Vessel had disappeared? It is here, as it has always been " he said.  
Theo slowly approached Liam. "Something does not convince me," he whispered to the other. Liam glanced at the men near them and nodded. Everyone looked at them as if waiting for something. "But-" Shawn said to protest.

  
"I suppose then we should not go too far to find that culprit," Theo joked, intruding. Shawn turned and looked at him wide-eyed.  
Jung grinned. "Apparently you are more awake than my subordinate"  
"What does it mean?" Shawn snapped, looking from Theo to Jung.  
"It's like Hayden said," Liam whispered only to Shawn. Then raise his voice "If nobody knew about the Vase, then no one could open it, except those who treasure it"  
"No, it's not possible!" Shawn snapped "This goes against our every rule, it goes against any teaching that they have handed down!" Theo could hear Shawn tremble with rage and disappointment.  
Jung laughed. "All bullshit, you should wake up Shawn ... We are the keepers of the Vessel, we have been given great power and for all this time we stood there watching it, waiting for it to open, waiting for it to begin its work of purification. We have always remained hidden, unknown to everyone ... it was time for things to change ... We will revolutionize the world, everyone will know our name, there will be no more wars to fight and people will know the true peace ... under our control "Shawn was literally upset, seemed to have lost the ability to speak.  
Theo instead growled pulling out his claws. "If you think we'll be here watching, you're wrong!" Jung nodded, and all four men and the two sitting at the table stood up, embracing arms, and huddled around them.

  
 

"You will not even have time to lift the claws, you will already be dead, you and your alpha"  
"We'll see," Liam growled.  
"Well maybe you'll survive, but not Shawn ... and not even those two little girls you left behind" At those words, all three boys opened their eyes. "Did you think we did not know?The moment you entered the village, they immediately brought us everything, "Jung hissed. "So now, lower the claws"

  
Theo growled, before obeying. And so Liam did. Jung motioned to two men. "Take them and close them in the dungeons"  
At those words Shawn seemed to reconnect the brain "What ... what are you doing?" screamed.  
"Quiet" motioned to another man who approached Shawn, grabbing him by the shoulders and disarming him. "You will go with them"  
"You can not do such a thing!" he screamed desperately.  
"Be escorted without reacting, and I will not raise a finger on your friends out there," the man warned them.  
"Sir" another man interposed "If we let the girls go, they will call for reinforcements"  
Jung smiled mischievously. "That's what I want." Theo and Liam's eyes widened. "You two will be the baits, which will bring here through these two little girls, all the rest of the pack"  
Liam had no idea what that mad man had in mind, but he did not bode well. But they could not do anything else, let themselves be guided outside the building, and then beyond the door of a basement, dug into the ground. It had to be the entrance to the underground tunnels that Shawn talked about before. Those who had now become their prison.

*

"Do you think they're okay?" Grace asked, worried, looking at Hayden, as she crouched behind brambles a few hundred yards from the building. Night had already fallen, and those three had been in there for over 5 hours now.  
"Yes, I'm sure, surely they just lost in chatter," she reassured her.

  
Yet something troubled her. Why did Liam seemed so nervous when he greeted her? Why all those recommendations? It was as if he knew something that she ignored. She really had a bad feeling. But she could not let Grace see it.  
"Hey, look, someone's coming," Grace whispered suddenly, catching Hayden's attention at the entrance to the building. The girl looked up to see better the figures approaching the guard at the entrance. Hayden saw the man raise the weapon as he had done on her friends, and then lower it immediately. It had to be some of them. _Many_ of them. Hayden could see only faint figures, but she heard at least twenty beats.  
"I do not like it," Grace commented weakly.  
"Not even me" let out serious Hayden, rising slowly and approaching moving through the trees to get a better view with Grace behind. When she was less than 200 meters from them, she stopped and her his eyes shine again.  
Grace looked at her in amazement before imitating her. "Wow I can see everything," she whispered  
"Shh" the other admonished her.  
"Look, they're all armed," Grace grumbled. "I'm afraid, there's Theo and Liam in there"

Hayden looked at the group of newcomers. Obviously they were armed, they were hunters, but from there she could still see that they did not have the famous Peacemakers' tattoo. "There's a girl too," Grace noted.

  
Hayden followed her gaze, and almost did not have a heart attack. She jerked back, grabbing Grace and pulling her behind a tree. "What's up? Do you know her?"  
"That ... that's Monroe," Hayden mumbled breathlessly, crushing them against the trunk. “No-..no way"

Why was that woman there? She did not _have to_ be there. Unless ... No, it could not be. Shawn led them to a trap? Had he fooled them?

  
"Hayden, what's up? Who's that?" Grace whispered more and more terrified.  
Hayden grabbed her by the shoulder, looking into her eyes "We have to go back to the village"  
"No, we can not leave Theo and Liam in there!"  
"If it's like I think, there's nothing we can do"  
"But then-"  
"We have to call for reinforcements ... we have to call Scott"

  
And they walked away, not realizing the careful look and the amused smile that Monroe was addressing in their direction.

  
_TO BE CONTINUED_

  
 


	28. Chasing the evil

Hayden and Grace stood motionless on the ground in a dark corner of the little village of Peace River. Something was wrong with that place. Hayden was beginning to be sure.

First the Peacemakers, then the fact that no one seemed to have been hit by the waves, the disappearance of Theo, Liam and Shawn, and now _this_ .

"What the hell are they doing?" Grace muttered in a whisper.

"Shh," Hayden repeated for the fifth time, leaning a little longer to glance at the street.

People had left the houses, and had quietly poured into the streets. Someone made light with a torch, the younger ones with cell phones, some even with candles. And they moved, as if in a procession, towards the woods. Something in her instinct told her it was not the case to be seen.

She turned to Grace. "We will remain hidden here, in silence, tomorrow morning we will look for a way to contact Scott "

"Do you still have your cell phone on?"

"No"

"So how?"

"I have a plan"

*

"Liam"

"Hm?"

"I was aiming to finish my days in a place better that that"

"Stop it, Theo, we will not die in a goddamn underground labyrinth while crazy people go resetting the world "

Theo sighed, his back against Liam's, separating only by heavy steel gratings. Liam slipped his hand over the bars, and Theo looked at it before grabbing it. "We'll never have something normal? "Theo asked rhetorically with a snort.

"We'll do it when we get home, remember, you promised me," Liam mumbled, turning around slightly to be able to look at Theo's profile.

"I can not wait," said Theo. "I can not wait to eat something decent again"

"And to make a movie night with Corey and Mason eating junk food," Liam added, smiling.

"I can not wait to see Stiles again just to mock him," Theo said nostalgically. Liam chuckled.

"I miss playing video games with you"

"I miss seeing you break the joysticks when you lose" Liam elbowed him.

"I can not wait to go back to sleep in my bed"

"I'll scrap the pickup when we get back," Theo joked

"You would not dare"

"No, probably not," Theo laughed

"You know, I can not wait to go to college, just you and me, miles away from Beacon Hills," Liam said dreamy.

"Do you know what I can not wait for?" Theo said, looking at him, and from the tone Liam was almost sure he was to shoot a stupid thing. So he just looked at him, eyebrows raised "To have sex in a real bed. As beautiful as it is, the soil of a forest is not the best "Liam laughed

"I can not wait for the world to end, so I do not have to hear you anymore," Shawn muttered from the cell in front of them.

*

People crowded the building, murmuring agitated, close to one another. All along the perimeter the hunters were allocated, with the rifle over the shoulder, the look that moved between them circumspectly, as if checking the situation while waiting for something. Another group of hunters moved among the civilians.

When one of them passed by, a man held him back. "Where are the weapons?" Another man just a few steps from him, his hand laced to a child's, interposed "You said you'd have us prepared for the imminent apocalypse, "he skeptical.

The hunter freed himself from the grip "It will be like that" he quickly dismissed it, throwing one last look at the child who looked doubtfully at the scene.

Monroe watched the scene from the back of the room, beside Jung, satisfied. "Where are they?" asked.

"You'll see them later"

"I remind you that the agreement stipulated that the two werewolves belong to me"

"So it will be"

"I have a score to settle with those two, and with the rest of their pack"

"That's why I let the two girls go, so that they can call the rest of the pack here " Monroe looked at her ally with curiosity, "What is your plan? Lure a whole bunch of supernatural creatures here... it's not just for respecting our agreement, is it? "

Jung grinned. "Obviously not, if we want to see the dawn of a brand new world, we must speed up the process, leaving no time for the Maya to close the vase "

"And how?" she asked curiously.

He looked at her, then looked back at the people who crowded the place. There will have been at least fifty people among men, women, children and elderly. He watched as the hunters strolling around the room returned to their seats all along the perimeter. " _Chasing the evil_ " he then answered slowly.

Monroe looked at him as he waved a hand. At the same time, all the hunters lined up along the walls raised their rifles. Another nod, and the room echoed with the sound of hundreds of shots, which were poured out on the people gathered there. Monroe watched the scene with wide eyes. Someone screamed, someone tried to escape, fear and panic invaded the whole area, and so the smell and the red of blood. It lasted only a couple of minutes, and then it was silence again.

Jung bowed his head as his hunters lowered their weapons by imitating him. "We salute to those who sacrificed themselves for a greater good "

Monroe looked at him wide-eyed "Is that why you want them all here? To generate a conflict?"

"You got it. You made the time ripe for the rebirth of the world, the war you have started last year, experiments with chimeras, everything you've done, laid the foundation for allow the vase to fulfill its purification work once opened. And today, we will carry that work out together. The conflict that will be unleashed here in a few days will generate so much evil to reduce waiting time to zero. For their part, they can not help fighting. And even if they refused to fight, they would die and their death would still be a victory for us. "

Monroe smiled at the idea. "Soon a new world will begin, a new world of which _you_ " Jung looked at Monroe "will be the leader, and of which I will be the Messiah"

*

Shawn watched Theo and Liam asleep, hands still laced together. He sighed, his back resting against the icy rock face of the cave. He looked down at the tattoo that was filling all his right arm. "Mom ... dad ..." he whispered. He passed his other hand on the elaborate drawing.

And he felt the tears wet his cheeks. He had not been crying for years. From their death probably.

His parents had consecrated their lives to the order, they had died following the code, fighting because evil never triumphed over good, to maintain balance. And he had followed their example. He had rotated his whole life around that mission. He was willing even to die for it. And now ... he discovered that all his order had denied the ideals with which they had been educated, the same ideals for which his parents were dead. It was an ... _insult_ .

"Do you feel it?" Jung's voice made him jump from fear. He had not noticed his presence. He looked up to look at the man standing in front of him, past the bars. With a burst of anger, Shawn stood up and clung to the bars, trying to grab him. " _You_ \- Make me get out of here! "he shouted.

Jung laughed. "For your own good it is better that you stay here, soon the hell will be unleashed on earth"

"What do you care about my own good ?!"

"I have always promised your parents to keep you safe"

Shawn increased his grip on the bars, trying to move them. "Do not you dare talk about them, you have no right to even name them !! "

Jung laughed again "What's it talking right now, Shawn? Despair ... anger ... or

fear? "Shawn took a few seconds to catch his words, then paled. He had been infected.

He become vulnerable. "Soon you will no longer recognize good from evil, you will attack anyone who happens to be near you, friend or enemies, are you sure you want to get out of here? "the other said ironically.

"You should just kill him," a female voice intervened a few paces from them.

Shawn turned to look at her and recognized Monroe from the mug shots of the order.

"What are you doing here ?!" he exclaimed with a mixed look of anger and confusion. Monroe studied him carefully.

"He's still one of my men," Jung said, sourly.

"He's a deserter, he could be a problem later"

"He will not give any problems shut up here," Jung quickly dismissed the topic, turning around giving back to Shawn to watch the other two prisoners, still asleep.

Monroe followed his gaze, with a sarcastic smile on her face "Are not they adorable?"

Jung studied Monroe carefully. "What do you want to do to them? I remind you that we need 'em alive, and capable of fight, "he reminded her.

"Dont worry, I just want to have a little fun with them"

Monroe looked at him expectantly. "Have you set up my room?"

"Whenever you want"

"Well, let me find them here in an hour" And she left.

*

When Lydia opened the loft door, the sheriff and Parrish stood in front. The two entered, expressions that did not promise anything good. Scott stood up to meet them "Sheriff, any news?"

The sheriff sighed as he approached Stiles and Scott. "Nothing, the last time they used the Peter's credit card was almost a week ago, to refuel gas just after the border. After that, nothing more "

"Have you tried to track their cell phones?" Kira asked from the armchair.

Parrish and the sheriff looked at each other before the sheriff pulled an envelope of plastic out of his jacket pocket containing two cellphones. Scott took it with shaking hands and his eyes' shocked

"They are theirs," he whispered.

"They got by post this morning to the station, the sender is a fake name, we checked, who ever it is, it signed with 'Will Bedead' "

"Funny," Stiles commented, rolling his eyes.

"Where have they been sent from?" Lydia asked

"A country near the border, certainly not the same place they are now, they would not have left such a clear clue "

"But that means they took them," Alec said in a trembling voice

"They wanted to send us a message" said Nolan "Why?"

"They want to provoke us," Mason whispered

"Or they want to lure us into a trap," Malia suggested.

Scott shook his head. "We ... we can not do nothing, we have to ... we have to find them!"

"Scott" Lydia squeezed his shoulder reassuringly. "We will save them"

"Okay, stop waiting, the three days have passed, we'll leave immediately!" Malia snapped, rising abruptly.

"But we do not know where to go," Corey protested.

At that moment, the radio tied to the sheriff's belt emitted a beep. "Sheriff, can hear me? "someone spoke.

The sheriff snorted before answering. "Yes, talk"

"Listen, sir, there's ... a call for you"

"It's not time for these things, Harris," he whispered.

The man on the radio sounded vaguely embarrassed "She insisted so much, sir, it seemed urgent"

The sheriff rolled his eyes. "Did leave a name? A message?"

"Well, yes." There was a sound of hastily handled sheets. "She said her name was ... Hayden. Hayden Romero. And urgently need to be in touch with Scott McCall. "

The sheriff widened his eyes, looking at Scott, who in turn exchanged shocked looks with Stiles, Lydia and Malia.

The sheriff's tone changed when he picked up the radio "When did she call?"

"Two hours ago, she left saying she would call back in an hour"

"Where did she call from?"

"A telephone booth, the call was transferred from a switchboard"

"Okay I'll go back to the station right away, if she call keep her on the line" And he attacked.

"Why did she call from a phone booth?" Malia asked, worried.

"Maybe she's in trouble," Parrish suggested.

"Great," Stiles muttered.

"Guys" Scott turned to them "I'm going with the sheriff and Parrish to the station, you charge those phones and see if you find out something " Everyone nodded.

Then Scott approached Stiles, taking him by the shoulder and pulling him away from the others. "About what we talked about the other day ... "Stiles looked at him waiting" ... you were right "

"I was sure," Stiles confirmed.

"What are you going to do now?"

"Finding the truth," he just said.

*

"Something's wrong," Isaac said, turning to look at Maya, his eyebrows furrowed

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"There seems to be no one there," the confused boy whispered.

"I thought there was an army down here," she muttered sarcastically

"Well me too"

He and Maya were patrolling the woods, since they were the only ones who could move free and able to defend themselves.

"It's like they've disappeared," Isaac whispered.

"It should be a good thing, but ... for some reason I do not think it's like that," she said doubtfully.

"I do not like that at all, I think they have something in mind"

"I think we should worry about the Vase, the hunters can wait, do not you think?"

"Maybe you're right, but we do not know where to look for"

"We actually have a clue"

"Do you mean the thing about the river that brings peace, what would it mean?" Isaac said ironic.

"Something's going to mean, we do not have much time left, we've just 40 days-" Maya blurted out, glaring in passing her wrist before turning to look at him, then to jump and go back to stare it, stopping suddenly.

Isaac noticed and turned to her worried. "Everything alright?"

"What number did it the other day mark?" Maya asked, the voice tense.

Isaac frowned "42 ... I guess?"

Maya looked up, shocked, to meet Isaac's blue eyes, turning her wrist toward him . Isaac imitated her expression, grabbing her wrist to look at it more closely, as if like that he could understand better how it was possible that it now marked that 31 are missing.

*

Stiles climbed the spiral stairs that led upstairs, leaving the others to fiddle around the cell phones of Theo and Liam. He stopped a few steps from Ian, sitting on the bed. The boy looked at him.

"Everything okay?" Ian nodded slowly and then looked back at his own nervously intertwined hands.

"You know," Stiles began, intertwining his arms to his chest. "I did not tell you something about werewolves" Ian did not look at him "They can feel what you're feeling from the smell you emit. It's easy for them to recognize when someone is happy, when he is sad, when he is angry ... or when he feels guilty " Ian stood up the look towards him waiting. "Plus, each of us has a specific smell, and when we enter in contact with someone else, the smell of this person can remain on us for a long time, depending on how much time we spend together. We human beings can not perceive the difference, but a werewolf can " Ian sighed. "Malia was never good at this, and Isaac did not knows how it is, Monroe's smell ... but Scott did. So I asked him to check on you. Then I asked Isaac what were your chemo-signals the night of the explosion. He did not understand why you felt so much sorry for people you did not even know, but I figured out ... that actually it was not sorry, it was guilt, right? " Ian did not answer yet." Someone must have warned Monroe of our arrival, she was standing there waiting for them. Someone must have told her the exact time, and no one else of us could have done it, apart from you "

Ian remained silent for a while, before getting up. "What you want me to say?" then he just said.

"I just want you to say the truth"

"I thought you just said that," Ian mumbled, looking at him.

"Not entirely. Monroe thinks Scott and the others are dead. Why did not you tell her the truth? Or maybe ... have you even _confirmed_ their death? "

Ian frowned, taking a step forward "Where are you up to?" he asked.

Stiles looked at him with a smile. "I want you to do something for me"

*

They had been closed for an hour in silence in the sheriff's office and still nothing. Scott moved nervously around the room. He winced when the phone suddenly rang out. The sheriff looked at Harris, answering. "Hello?" Harris looked up, nodding at the sheriff who made a quick gesture with his hands "Pass her to my phone" Harris obeyed.

Scott picked up the phone quickly and brought it to his ear. "Hayden?" He said.

"Scott!" Hayden rejoiced, breathing a sigh of relief. "Fortunately I found you, there is something that I have to tell you, things just got messy here"

" What's up, Hayden? Are you OK?"

"Yes, I guess, yes, it's about Theo and Liam"

At those words Scott opened his eyes "What do you mean?"

"I ... I joined them along the way, we arrived at the prefixed place, but it was a trap"

"Wait" Scott put the speakerphone on. "What do you mean? What happened?" he continued then.

"I do not know exactly, they asked us to wait outside, they behaved strangely, I thnk that the Peacemakers had opened the vase "

"Yes, we think that too"

"But that's not all," Hayden quickly interrupted

"What else?"

"Monroe, she's in on it with them, it's here, I saw her," Hayden stammered in agitation. "Besides, everyone is strange, the people are leaving their homes and gathering in their hiding place. Tonight there have been a few shots everywhere. Furthermore, nobody seems to be affected by the waves "

"Okay, Hayden, calm down - can you tell me where you are?"

"Yes, we are in a village between the Rocky Mountains, it's called Peace River"

"Got it"

"Will you come here?"

Scott nodded, before realizing that she could not see him "Yes, we'll leave immediately, wait for us hidden, please " And hung up.

*

When Stiles went downstairs to go back to the main hall, Lydia came up to him. "Where's Ian?" asked.

"Oh, upstairs, he's sleeping," he answered quickly. "Any news?"

"Nothing useful on their phone, though-"

"What else now?" He looked up at the others.

Isaac gave him an anguished look "We could have less time than we thought" He said.

Stiles walked towards Maya, who showed him his wrist. "Why is it 29 now?"

"Three hours ago it was 31" Maya commented

"How is it possible?" asked Lisa. Maya shook her head.

"Not good at all" Alec exclaimed "At this rate it will come to zero in less than a week"

"Okay, where's Scott?" Stiles snapped, clapping his hands.

"He's not back from the police station yet"

"Also, Isaac said the bunker is empty, there's no one," Lydia reported. Stiles looked at her. "I have called Chris and Jackson, it's like that there, too, " she added nervously.

"If they are not more settled on the Nemeton, where are they?" Nolan asked, widening his eyes.

"They're in Canada," Scott's voice said as he came in breathlessly from the door. Everyone turned to look at him with wide eyes.

"What are they doing in Canada?" Alec asked

"Oh _no,_ " Stiles exclaimed.

Malia looked at them confused. "So what do _we_ do?"

" _We_ go to Canada, and with 'we' ... I mean _everyone_ "

*

When Liam opened his eyes, he felt a strange sense of deja-vù. He realized he was standing, but had hands and feet tied up. He looked up, crossing Theo's in front of him.

"Good morning, sleeping beauty," he mumbled sarcastically. "It feels like we have already been here"

"It's not funny Theo" He moved his head to look at the electrical net he was connected to, _again._

"These hunters do not have much originality," Theo commented, looking carefully at the ropes that bound his hands.

"I'm sorry you do not appreciate it," Monroe's voice commented ironically as she emerged from the dark slowly putting between them.

Liam looked at her with wide eyes. "What are _you_ doing _here_?" He growled.

"Win the war," she answered simply.

"Are you allied with those crazy people?" Theo threw up. "Well, obvioulsy, takes one to knows one" Monroe does not seemed to appreciate the comment.

He approached Theo, under Liam's wide, anxious eyes, and grabbed him by the chin forcing him to look at her. "They told me you came back to be a werewolf, what a shame, now you're no longer of any use to me " Theo growled at the thought that he had used _his_ blood to synthesize that poison that could have deprived them all of their powers. "I wonder if the mutation works twice on the same person? "Monroe asked, without talking to anyone of the two in particular.

Then she turned to Liam, letting go of Theo. "Or I could try it on an alpha, I did not have it way yet. How would you feel to be a human again, Liam? "

Liam growled "I am more human than you are"

Monroe laughed. "We will see it, when evil will get over you, you will think of it in the same way? "

"You fool yourself, if you think I'll let myself get infected," he growled.

"I do not know exactly how it works, what makes some people more influential than others? I'm sure ... that seeing who you love hurting is a great incentive "

At those words Liam stared, at the same moment as Monroe activated the switch, sending electric shocks throughout Theo's body. The boy growled, screaming in pain, while the claws emerged uncontrolled and the pupils dyed with gold. "Stop it!" Liam screamed. There Monroe obeyed.

"What's up Liam? Are you angry?"

Liam growled again, while Theo in front of him caught his breath, his eyes returning green.

"Why do you do this? Why do you want us to get infected? If you want us dead, you can kill us without waiting for the final wave "

"Liam, do not get her started," Theo muttered.

"I do not want you dead, I need you alive, actually," she replied, confusing the two. "We need to generate evil if we want the final wave to break down definitively on the world, permanently deleting it "

Theo's eyes widened "What does that mean?"

"What does 'generate evil' mean?" Liam added.

"In order for the Vessel to carry out its purification work, the balance must hang as much as possible on the side of the evil. And the more the evil is great, the more the process is fast and devastating. "

Monroe looked at them. "And what's more _horrible_ than two people who love each other who _kill_ each other?"

_TO BE CONTINUED_

 


	29. Racing against time

_"Liam"_

"Liam... do you hear me? _Liam_ "

Liam's eyes widened, his head throbbing in a particularly painful way. He found himself staring at a stone ceiling and for a moment he could not figure out where he was. "Liam!"  
 

Suddenly the pieces returned to their seats and he sat down.  
He was in the middle of the cell, and in the one in front of him, pale and with his hands clasped around the bars, was Shawn.  
The hunter sighed. "Are you alright?" he asked urgently. Liam nodded slowly and then looked in the cell next to his, where Theo was before. And that now was empty.  
He jumped up "Where is Theo?" he asked Shawn in a whisper.  
Shawn shook his head "I do not know, they took both of you away but only brought you back ... KO. You've been unconscious for over six hours, are you okay?"  
"No, if I do not know where Theo is," he replied, moving up and down the cell.  
"What happened?"  
"I do not remember, I just remember that we were tied together in another room, then they must have sedated me ... or something like that." Liam looked at his hands for a moment, and Shawn followed his gaze. Liam held his breath before trying to snap the claws. They went out as usual.  
Liam released the held breath. Fortunately, he still had his powers. He darted toward the bars, holding them tight and looking at the other boy. "They said something about speeding up the process, generating evil, is that possible?" he snapped.  
"I do not know, it can be ... Having opened the Vase, it's Jung who can control its development, it's not as when it opens by itself, so maybe yes, it can be manipulated."  
"Doing evil?"  
Shawn nodded. "Yes, possible."  
"I think I know 'cause there are no infected people here," he whispered. "When I was near Monroe, I heard smells on her, of blood, _so much blood_ , and of different people, and it was very recent, I think they kill those who get infected, or maybe they even kill everyone indiscriminately."  
Shawn's eyes widened, then he took a trembling breath. "It would make sense, it's the worst kind of evil, to harm innocent people, to cause an unjustified evil"  
Liam looked at the boy, noticing only now when he was pale. "Are you alright?" he asked him. Shawn nodded, his hands trembling around the cold bars. He squeezed harder to stop them from trembling. "Monroe said something else," Liam said. "She said she wants me and Theo to get infected, to get one against the other, that there's nothing worse than two people who love each other who kill each other," he whispered.

Shawn looked up at him, widening his eyes. "Damn, that's why she separated you, she wants to make you waver, to doubt about the salvation of the other, so that you are overwhelmed by fear and despair"  
"It will never happen," Liam said firmly. "She can never put me against Theo, and I'm sure he can never put Theo against me"  
"How can you be that sure?" Shawn asked, startled. "It may already be late!" Shawn paled "It's _already_ too late"  
"We can not allow them to get the better of us ... At this moment, losing hope would spell our end, and for the first time, it is not a figure of speech!" Liam exclaimed. "Shawn!" He watched the boy slip to his knees, his hands still around the bars as if trying to hold onto something. "Shawn, do not let it take over!" he shouted.  
Shawn deeply inspired, the sweat dripping down his forehead, or were they tears? He felt something salty stinging on his lips and the tip of his tongue. It was the end. There was nothing more to do. The world was about to end. And the fault was of his own order, of his own family. He had nothing more to fight for. Nothing to believe anymore. Nothing made more sense.  
"Shawn!" Liam cried, glowing his eyes in frustration.  
Shawn looked up, a furious expression on his face, his body trembling visibly. "I will kill them, I will kill them all!"

*

"Are all those who were there?" Stiles asked, as Malia loaded the last ammunition into Lydia's car.  
"Yes, Argent brought almost all his arsenal with him, this is what's left"  
"What's its purpose?" Alec asked, picking up a small rifle. "None of us except Nolan can shoot"  
Stiles took it from his hands. "What do you think I did for a year in the FBI?"  
"Have you finally learned how to hold a gun?" Malia asked, surprised.  
"You can count on it," Stiles grinned. He took another gun from the pile and pulled it to Ian. "And not just me"  
Ian caught it in amazement. "Are you sure you want to put a weapon in my hand?" he asked, amused.  
"Oh yes, we will not go there unarmed"  
At that moment Lydia, Scott and Nolan came out of the loft. "We are ready?" asked the alpha, looking at everyone. The group nodded. "Well"  
Nolan set his crossbow in the trunk, and hurried back to his car.  
Lisa was already waiting for him there, leaning on the car door. "Are you leaving?" Nolan nodded. Lisa smiled sadly and wrapped her arms around his neck. "Be careful"  
Nolan squeezed her. "You too"  
"I wish I could come with you," she whispered, leaning her forehead against the boy's.  
"I know but it's too dangerous for you, Corey and Alec, and for Mason. You have to stay here." Then she leaned over to give him a light kiss on the lips.  
"Come back alive"  
"Count me in" he smiled at her, before separating.  
Scott turned to Corey, Alec, and Mason. "Guys, be careful," Mason muttered, turning to everyone. Scott nodded.  
"Bring them back all at home," Alec said.  
"We will do it, at any cost"  
Alec and Mason nodded, stepping back and watching as Scott, Malia, Stiles and Ian climbed into the car with Lydia. Kira, Isaac and Maya with Nolan.  
"How will we explain all those weapons at a roadblock?" Isaac asked for good measure.  
Kira looked at him. "We pray not to meet a roadblock"  
Isaac looked at her nodding "Good plan"

  
 

  
"Mason," Alec whispered as the two cars pulled away. "Are we really staying here?"  
Mason turned to look at him, with an expression that said everything. "God, no!"  
"Great!"  
"But first, let's wait for the reinforcements"  
Alec frowned and exchanged a confused expression with Lisa, who had approached them slowly. "What reinforcements?"  
"The ones we called," Corey answered with a smile.  
"Did we call for reinforcements?" Alec asked even more confused.  
"Actually Stiles called them"  
"Stiles? And Scott knows about?"  
"No"  
Alec was more and more confused "Why the alpha does not know it and the hyperactive human does?"  
"According to Stiles, to sneaking up on your enemies you must first sneaking up on your friends"  
"It will all come to naught," Lisa commented  
"Probably" commented Corey. "Considered ... who the reinforcements are"

*

Theo could literally feel his body on fire. He was stunned, he had lost track of time, and could not catch anything but the sound of electricity passing through his body, and the fact that Liam was no longer in that room with him. He did not know how long, how he got out of here, or why. He did not even have time to feel fear, which at another gesture of Monroe, was once again on fire.

  
 

  
He had not even noticed Jung's presence beside the woman. Monroe pulled a syringe out of her jacket pocket, and Jung followed it with his eyes. "What's that stuff?" he snapped, looking carefully at the syringe.  
"A concentrate of Kanima's venom, with a small change, a work of our scientists," she explained, raising the syringe so that Jung could see it better.  
"What's different than the common Kanima venom?"  
"It's a kind of stunner, it does not just paralyze the body but it inhibits the brain activity, it induces a sort of hypnosis, our intention was to use it in the interrogation, to extract secret information from them, but in this case we can use it in another way" she did then, turning off the power again.  
Theo collapsed along the net, hands still tied up. He looked up slightly at the two hunters and gave a weak growl. "Wh-where is Liam?" he asked with the best menacing tone he managed to get out. None of them answered. "I swear that if you harmed even a single his hair, I will bit your spine off," he growled, his eyes golden, leaning forward as much as possible.  
Monroe laughed "Is it anger you're feeling maybe?"  
Theo growled again "If you're hopin' to put me against Liam, you delude yourself, I'd rather rip my heart out of my own chest by myself"  
Monroe approached him "We'll see" And pressed the switch again.

  
Jung moved to get closer to her. "Do you think it will work?" he asked skeptically. "Do you think to put a beta against his alpha so easily?"  
"This guy is different," Monroe began. "He has had a particular life, if you can say so ... In the past he killed, he manipulated, he did everything he could for power, he wounded the pack that had welcomed him, the same one he is now trying to protect. At the age of nine, he killed his own sister, we can say that he closed himself inside an armor, not to feel emotions like remorse, pain, or love, it was just a ruthless war machine. Then something stung that armor, and the weight of everything he had done felt on him, all at once. And you cant heal easily from such a trauma. Those cracks are still there, even though you tried to put the pieces back together. " Monroe turned off the switch again, this time approaching Theo before he could regain control of his trembling body. With a resolute gesture, she put the needle into his neck and pressed the plunger. Then she backed away. "A little bit of pressure," she said, turning it on again, "and it will be completely broken up" with Theo's shouts echoing in their ears.

*

With a firm kick, Hayden knocked down a warehouse door in the back of a store. She peered in carefully before making a sign to Grace to follow her inside. "Where did _everyone_ go?" the little girl asked weakly.  
The night before the people of the small village had gone into the surrounding woods, and no one had returned. "I do not know," Hayden mumbled. "Maybe they just went to hide," she continued, trying to hide her worried tone.

  
But Grace was not stupid. She was a kid sure, but she had heard the shots in the night. Many shots. Uninterruptedly for several minutes they were echoed everywhere. And she had felt a pungent smell invade her nostrils. A smell that she knew well, that of blood.  
It was a day now that Theo and Liam had entered that den without coming out. And it had been over 10 hours since Hayden had managed to get in touch with this famous Scott. "Are they coming to help us?" she asked, sitting on the ground. She looked at her and nodded, then back to rummage through the shelves to pick up something edible and cooked. "Then we're going to save Theo and Liam?" Grace asked.  
Hayden, her hands overflowing, sighed and slid things in front of Grace, before sitting down next to the girl. She took her hand. "We're going to save them, so we have to stay hidden, so we have to be here when the others arrive, so we can guide them against the hunters," she reassured her.  
"And how long will it take for your friends to get there?"  
Hayden paused to think about it. They had taken days because they had stopped every few hours and mostly on foot. Above all in the last stretch of road. Since they had to follow the traces of Theo and Liam in the woods, they eventually continued on. But Shawn had told her that it would be faster in the car. Considering that Theo and Liam had taken three weeks, stopping at every meal, and every night, deviating to Utah, and diverting due to the complications due to the waves, proceeding without ever stopping in the car and already knowing the destination, the others would have be there in no more than three days.  
"If they have already left, they will be here by the day after tomorrow"  
Grace groaned "And if the day after tomorrow will be late for them?"  
"Hey hey" Hayden tightened her grip on her hand "Theo and Liam are strong, it's not so easy to get rid of them, they've been through worse, trust me, they're fine, do not worry," she reassured her. "Now eat something, then sleep, and in a moment it will be tomorrow"

 

  
Half an hour later Grace was sleeping on Hayden's lap. The girl looked at the watch on her wrist. It was almost 10pm. She sighed, pulling her head back against the wall. It was at that moment that like the night before they echoed everywhere. Shots in the night.

  
 

*

They had been in the car for almost 20 hours, they had stopped just a few seconds to change at the wheel. Now Nolan slept in the front seat while Kira was driving. Isaac looked at Maya leaning on his shoulder. "If you're hungry we have provisions," he informed her in a low voice. Maya shook her head, but opened her eyes. "Kira, when you want, we change," Isaac said loudly.  
At Kira's nod, he returned to look at Maya, who now had her left hand wrapped around her wrist. "What happen?"  
"I'm ... afraid to watch," she whispered. Isaac swallowed, before taking her hand in his, and slowly moving her away from his tattooed wrist. Maya turned it and gulped in turn.  
"What happens?" Kira asked, alarmed. At that moment Nolan's eyes widened, inspiring deeply. "How much does it mark?" Kira asked again.  
Isaac looked up to cross it with that reflection of Kira in the rearview mirror. "18"  
Nolan gasped "Ten less in one day" counted.  
"That means ..." Kira began, pale.  
"... there are barely two days left" Maya concluded, while Kira pressed more on the accelerator.

*

It was dark around him. It was cold. Theo took a breath, panting, trying to figure out where he was. The last thing he remembered was the pressure of the strings on his wrists and the pain of a thousand electric shocks that ran through his body. He raised a hand meeting a cold surface. _He was lying on an icy surface._ As a wave of panic struck him, Theo stumbled on his elbows andcreptout from what he knew was a mortuary cell. But what he struck against was not the hospital floor.

His face met soil and leaves, and the smell of the forest, and the roar of water came to his senses as a werewolf, causing him to raise his head in confusion.

  
"T-theo ..." A voice called him, causing his blood to freeze. It was Tara's voice. But not that cold and metallic one of his nightmares, but the trembling and frightened one of a girl of ten years old who was left to die in a torrent by her brother, standing there looking at her.  
Theo snapped to his feet, finding himself facing the scene as if he had gone back in time. But this time he ran. He ran toward her, entering the icy water, answering her prayer.  
Tara looked at him approaching, her face full of pain, disappointment, and despair. When he stood before her, grabbing her by the shoulders, she met his eyes. "It's too late" Theo's eyes widened "You let me die, Theo, I died because of you. Mum and dad died because of you ... For how many lives you can save, you will never make up for all the evil you have done"  
Theo stepped back as she raised a trembling arm, clinging tightly to the edge of his shirt at chest level.

  
Suddenly he felt a pressure at that point and he felt himself falling backwards. But his body did not hit the surface of the water, but it crashed into something cold. He did not need to look around to find out where he was. It was enough to see that the Tara that was tanding over him was no longer the sad and dying one of his memory but the frightening and vindictive one of his nightmares, which with a dry gesture tore his heart from his chest.  
"This belongs to me" Theo gasped, while his body lost sensitivity.

  
A few seconds later, or at least they seemed second, he opened his eyes and recognized the tunnels around him. He immediately jumped to his feet, completely distorted, until a cough attracted his attention.  
A few feet away from him was Mason, sitting with his back to the wall, a hand pressed against a wound. Theo instinctively ran to him kneeling in front of him and taking his hand to absorb his pain as he had learned to do. But it did not work.

Mason coughed, his eyes widening as he crossed his gaze. "You can not do it if you do not have a heart," he mumbled, slowly lowering his eyes to his chest. Theo winced, his eyes wavering, following Mason's gaze, on his chest, finding it open, bleeding, _empty_.  
Theo jumped up, backing up to hit the wall with his shoulders. He narrowed his eyes. _It is not real. It is not real,_ he found himself thinking. _You have to get out of here!_

  
And he found himself running through the tunnels without actually having decided it, without even knowing where to go.  
"It's useless to escape," said a sing-song voice behind him. Theo stiffened again, stopping. And then turn around and face the crazy and ruthless Tara who had owned Lisa. "You can not run away from yourself," she giggled. "You can try, you can try to be better, you can delude yourself to deserve it, but that part of you you're trying to repress, will always be there, you .. you'll _always_ be that monster" Theo backed as if she had hit him, slitting eyes and twisted face.

"Theo" Another voice spoke. All it took was the whisper to make Theo turn in the opposite direction, desperate and needy at the same time to hear that voice. To see his face. He gasped for air when he saw Liam in front of him. But it was not the eighteen-year-old Liam, but the sixteen-year-old he'd met when he first came to Beacon Hills. "You know, do not you?" he spoke, frowning. "I will never love you as much as you love me," he added, shaking his head slightly. "Why should I love you? How _could_ I love someone like you?" Liam took a step forward, and Theo automatically took one back, shaking his head as a tear slid down his face. "You used me, you manipulated me, _you killed Scott_ , you killed your sister, you were ready to kill me, to kill Mason, to let Malia die, to let Lydia die ... everything and exclusively for _power_ " Liam did a puff amused. "Who would ever love you? Who would ever _forgive_ you? You are just a _heartless_ monster" At these words Theo put his hands to his ears to cover them, not to hear those words come from Liam, to hear nothing anymore, tears that now falling copiously from his eyes, the hole in his chest that throbbed painfully " _No_ …"

  
"You do not know how to love, Theo" Theo turned back again, where Tara had reappeared, who had spoken with a sweet tone, as if explaining an obviousness to a child. "But above all" she made a step forward "You do not _want_ to love, after all, all the people you loved, did not you kill them, with your own hands?" Tara laughed again, crossing the desperate and destroyed Theo's gaze, too destroyed to notice that in this last sentence Tara's voice sounded strangely similar to Monroe's voice, too shocked to perceive the burning pain of the electric discharge that ran through his body while the huntress was talking to his ear "You know that's how it is, and that's what you will do this time too ... you will kill the person you love the most in the world with _your own hands._ You _will kill Liam_ with your own hands "

  
 

_*_

When Hayden came out in the early afternoon for a reconnaissance tour, she ordered Grace to remain hidden at all costs in the warehouse and went around the country. It was now evident that the place was deserted. The only thing the girl wondered at that point was if the people had been summoned to form an army ready to march against them or if they had been sent to die under the fire of the uninterrupted shots that had broken those last two nights.

  
She checked the clock. It had been almost two days since her call to Scott. She could only pray that they would arrive by tomorrow evening. One more day. She sighed, before turning and marching to their hiding place.

  
It was the wave of panic and the fast pace of Grace's heart that probably distracted her, not letting her know the danger: she could tell them clearly from there about ten meters from the entrance to the warehouse. With a snap she ran to the door, meeting the frightened look of a Grace sitting on the ground, hands and legs tied and mouth gagged. A look that was not directed at her. She realized this with a second delay, when she felt a sharp pain at the back, while the electric discharge of a teaser made her fall to the ground unconscious at the feet of a hunter.

  
*

  
Liam did not know how much had passed since he woke up in the cell, but he knew it had been a long time. He was concentrating every fiber of his being into not losing control. It was hard when he did not know where Theo was, he did not know where Hayden was, he did not know where Grace was, when he knew Scott and the others were marching straight into a trap, and the world was going to end once and for all. But not impossible. Above all, not now that Shawn in front of him was visibly losing control.

  
Hands clasped around the bars, Liam spoke to the hunter, as if he were talking to himself, and this helped him to maintain his clarity. But apparently it did not help Shawn. It seemed that nothing he said could calm him.  
With Grace and Theo it worked, relying on their hopes, but Liam had no idea what to say to Shawn. He was also aware of the terrible fact that maybe there was _nothing_ that Shawn could actually hold on to, now that he had discovered that his own order had betrayed everything they had believed for generations.

  
 

"Shawn" Liam called him again, looking at the boy kneeling on the ground, his head in his hands, as if stifling some voice in his head. "Do not let Jung get the better of you, you can win it, we can get out of here and fight it!" Shawn groaned, tightening his grip on his head even more. "SHA-"  
"Enough," said a mellifluous voice, approaching along the corridor. "Leave him alone, do not you see he's gone?" the man giggled, that from the huge tattoo on his arm, Liam recognized as a Peacemaker. Liam growled faintly in his direction, snatching another laugh from the man as he slid into the small space between the cell door and the floor a tray containing something that looked vaguely like food. He threw another one under Shawn's, pausing to look at the boy on the ground. "Oh Shawn, what have you made of yourself?" He commented, leaning over and grabbing a bar with his left hand. Shawn looked up at him, hands trembling. "Jung was expecting it, you know, that you'd be the only one of us to fall, _the weak link_ ," he chuckled again, turning to leave

.  
It was at that moment that in a fit of rage Shawn jumped up and put his arms through the bars and grabbed the man by the neck, girdling him hard, to the point that he was pulled back by banging with a deafening clang against the bars while Shawn literally choked him with his bare hands.  
The man tried to wriggle, using his hands to scratch and remove Shawn's, to escape his blind fury, under Liam's distraught gaze. The man moaned, and Liam found himself thinking that by now he would kill him, when with a deafening rumble that echoed in the underground cave, someone shot an anesthetic to Shawn, who slowly lost strength to the arms, allowing the hunter to free himself .  
While massaging his neck and breathing again, he turned to look at Shawn, who slid along the wall with a moan of frustration, falling into a deep sleep.  
At the same instant, Liam and the hunter turned to look at the newcomer, whom Liam recognized as the guard who had checked them when they arrived.  
"Will, luckily you arrived," the other complained, still rubbing his neck.  
"You're a jerk," Will commented, coming up with quick steps and lowering his rifle. "He could kill you, Nate," he continued when he was one step away from him. Nate made a mocking verse turning to death glare at Shawn lying on the ground. "And maybe I should have let him do it." Nate's expression did not have time to go from one of hatred to a confused, that a blow to the head made him fall to the ground unconscious.

  
Liam stood there motionless staring wide-eyed before Shawn, then Nate then Will. Will snorted, looking up from the unconscious body to Liam. "I never liked him," he said, bending down to pick up the bunch of keys tied to his belt.  
"What are you doing?" Liam asked, still shocked.  
"What do you think? I'll free you," he muttered, amused, climbing over Nate, finally holding the keys in his hands and opening the cell door. Liam stood looking at the open door suspiciously, almost as if he did not believe the thing possible. Will snorted again "Do you want to go out or stay there? I can also close the door if you want, but this will not help you save your friend"  
"Why are you doing it?" Liam asked suspiciously, taking a step toward the exit.  
"Shawn is not the only one who does not appreciate Jung's new policy ... Maybe he took it a bit more personally ..." he ironically looked at Shawn "... but I do not want the end of the world, the Peacemakers protect the vessel and keep the balance. This is what they do, and it is certainly not what Jung is doing. "  
Liam came out of the cell, not losing sight of him. "What do we do with Shawn?"  
"We leave him here," Will said quietly, throwing the keys on the ground. "For his sake," he added in a more serious tone. Then he fired his rifle anesthetic on the ground and took Nate's shotgun. "I think this will be more useful, let's go"  
And Liam could not help but follow him along the corridor.

*

When Hayden woke up, the sun was already rising. She breathed deeply and became aware of the body pressed against her back. "Grace, are you okay?" she whispered worried. Grace nodded, saying yes, suffocated by the bandage over her mouth.

  
"Well well, you finally woke up," a voice said in the dark. Hayden followed the direction, seeing a man emerge from the corner, a grin on his face and the rifle lying on his right side. The hunter kicked a box near it, bringing it a yard from Hayden and then sitting on it. "Now let's see if I did well not to kill you right away" Hayden's eyes widened, following his movements "From our information it turns out you're an ally of the McCall pack, right?" Hayden did not answer "Where is your leader?"  
"And yours?" Hayden muttered in response.  
"Wished not to meet her, she would not be so merciful," he said, raising his rifle and loading it and then pointing it at Grace. "Now, tell me where Scott McCall is or I'll blow her head." Hayden swallowed and felt Grace tremble against her back. "You have three seconds," he warned. "Three ..." Hayden could feel the rhythm of her heart and that of Grace to get as fast as possible. "Two ..." She felt Grace's body move closer to hers, the fear leaking from her in waves. "O-"  
A distinct noise of broken glass stopped the hunter, who turned to look at the window exploded into pieces of the warehouse, because of an arrow now stuck in the wall. He stared before lifting his rifle and rushing to the door. "Who are you?!" he yelled at someone, before he was violently pulling away from the door. Hayden and Grace were silent, eyes wide open at the entrance, with the sounds of struggle rumbling in their ears. Then there was a shot. And silence.

  
They waited, until they heard footsteps and someone appeared on the threshold, making them jump from the fright. "Oh I finally found you," Malia muttered, rolling her eyes, stopping at the door. Next to her appeared a dark-haired boy with blue eyes, looking at Malia with the astonishment on his face, a boy whom Hayden did not know.  
Malia leaned over them, freeing them. "You can not imagine how good it is to see you," Hayden whispered, rubbing her wrists.  
"Greetings later, we have to recover the others and go look for these peacemakers, we do not have much more time," Malia said, hastening her way out.  
"What does it mean we do not have no more time?"  
"The Vase, the time is running out"  
"I thought it was missing a month yet," Hayden said doubtfully as they took a quick step across the village.  
"Apparently not," Malia muttered.  
"And how much is missing then?"  
Malia turned right, then left, evidently following a smell  
"If we're lucky, barely one day"  
Hayden's eyes widened "And if we're unlucky?" she exclaimed.  
"It may already be late"

  
 

*

As they rounded the corner, Hayden saw Scott in the distance, standing in the middle of a little square, with a boy and girl she did not know standing by. A few meters from them lay two men in hunter's uniform, unconscious, tied to each other. "They attacked you too?" Nolan asked, noting them. Scott nodded before looking at Hayden. "Are you OK?" She nodded.  
At that moment, they saw Stiles and Lydia approaching from the right, while Kira and Ian came from the left. "Guys, you do not know how good it is to see you," Hayden said relieved.  
"Now can we go to save Theo and Liam?" it was the first thing Grace said, still hidden behind Hayden.  
Stiles looked at the girl, a confused expression on his face "Who is the Hobbit?" he asked sarcastically, earning a nudge from Lydia.  
"It's a long story" Hayden cut short, "Come on, there's not much time, I understood"  
Scott nodded "Lead us"

  
*

  
The group moved cautiously among the trees. "Shh, here we are," Hayden warned them. After another two minutes of walking, the building appeared in front of them through the trees that slowly thinned out.  
Isaac, the closest to the edge, leaned over the trees, then opened his eyes and turned back to the others. "There is someone there"

Scott, only a few feet behind him, followed his gaze, meeting the figure of Monroe, standing in front of the building next to an armed man in a black uniform, evidently waiting for someone. Scott swallowed. _Waiting for them._

  
"What are we doing Scott?" Malia asked, in a whisper.  
Scott remained silent for only a few seconds, keeping his gaze fixed on Monroe. "Let's take the field, no more run away, no more shortcuts" And with this he moved a step forward. Coming out of the closet.  
The pack had only one second of confusion and loss, before taking a breath and following their leader. It was no longer time to run away. It was the showdown. There was no time to devise plans or subterfuges. There was not even time to negotiate. Not when the time flowed inexorable. Maya swallowed looking at her wrist where the 4 was slowly turning into a 3. Now it was a matter of a few hours.

  
The group lined up in front of the two, under the satisfied eyes of Monroe and the other man. From there Scott could very well see his tattoo, that identifying him as a Peacemaker. And if he was there with Monroe, he probably was the boss.  
"Scott McCall: We'll see each other again," Monroe began.  
Scott growled weakly. "Where are Theo and Liam?" He said.  
"Who knows," she said with a sneer. "They could be anywhere, down here," she continued, glancing down at the ground.  
Maya took a step forward looking at the man next to the Monroe angrily, "Where is the vase? How dare you desecrate it?" Isaac next to her raised a hand to pull her back and protect her from possible attacks, just as the man's eyes rested on her.  
"The Maya ... what an honor" he did with a half-amused bow. "I think if you want the Vase you will have to go and look for it," he continued, waving his right hand.  
At that moment from the building, at least twenty men emerged from the rear, both from the right and from the left. "I challenge you to find it" he grinned, taking a step back with Monroe, hiding behind their men "But first I challenge you to survive"

  
Scott glowed his eyes, turning, imitated by Malia, Isaac and Hayden with Kira at their side, who held the katana, while Maya, Lydia, Nolan, Ian, Grace and Stiles backed away, Stiles and Ian raising their guns in attack position, and Nolan the crossbow.  
"See you there," the man grinned, turning and disappearing over the building with Monroe in tow.  
"And now?" Malia exclaimed.  
"Now" Scott growled ".. let's fight"

  
 

  
_TO BE CONTINUED_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We are almost at the end of the story, the next one will probably be the last chapter.  
> I take this opportunity to thank you for following the story and wish everyone a Merry Christmas!


	30. What's worth fighting for

The shots ranged all over the clearing, scratching the trees and leaving furrows in the ground, while the two small armies dispersed. Malia had launched herself without too much thought against the two closest hunters. Kira had engaged a hand to hand with another one after disarming him. Instead, Isaac had grabbed another's gun, using it to press the hunter's body against the solid wall of the building, under Maya's watchful eyes. Ian and Nolan were back against a tree, sheltered from the shots, leaning with the gun and the crossbow in hand, to intervene in case someone of the supernatural was more in trouble.

 

Ian eyed Scott, who had dragged Lydia and Stiles away from the line of fire. He saw them talking excitedly a few more trees further. He looked to the right when he heard a groan, while the newcomer, Hayden, after hitting a hunter on the ground with a quick move, had sprung forward to pull the child away from the line of fire of a hunter positioned a few meters faraway, ending up being sideswiped.

 

"Hayden," Grace exclaimed as Hayden scrambled up and grabbed her pushing behind a bunch of brambles. "I'm fine," she reassured her, panting. "I will heal"

At that moment Scott, Lydia and Stiles appeared in front of them. "Are you OK?" Scott asked her apprehensively. She nodded. Then Scott turned to the other two. "Go ahead, and look for Theo and Liam, and be careful"

"But Scott-" Lydia started to protest.

"Do as I tell you, here it is still dangerous for you."

"I'll go with them," Hayden said, getting up on her legs, still a little unstable as the cut on her arm healed slowly. "I can pick up their smells, it will be easier"

"I'm coming with you," Grace added.

Scott looked at them carefully before nodding. "All right, go, fast, we'll watch your backs, see you down there." Then he turned, his eyes burning red, and threw himself into the fray.

 

"Come on," Hayden mumbled, making her way along the trees to walk around the building. Stiles turned to look at the spot where the fight still raged.

"It's here," Hayden shouted, following the smell of Monroe to an entrance into the ground. With a determined fist she blew the lock, causing the trapdoor to open. The four watched for a few seconds the stone stairs that disappeared into the darkness.

 

Hayden took the first step down, when with a sound of footstep a hunter emerged from the corner, pointing the weapon at them. "Do you think it's that easy?" he petulantly took aim.

Stiles moved his hand to take the gun, while Hayden shielded Grace with his body and Lydia raised her hands, when suddenly a shot rang out and the man fell to the ground, hit in the stomach. Stiles rolled his eyes to look back at Ian, a few steps away from them, hidden by the trees. "Go!" he shouted. "Come on!"

 

Stiles obeyed, swallowing, and pushing the girls down the stairs.

 

"Why do those men want to hurt us?" Grace exclaimed, trembling, a few seconds later.

Hayden took her hand, squeezing it reassuringly. "It will be all right, those men are just angry, you'll see, now we'll fix everything"

"I'm scared," she said then, looking up at her. "Did they get so angry with Theo and Liam as well?"

Hayden did not answer for a few seconds. "You'll see they're fine, nobody could ever get mad at Liam," she said reassuringly.

"At Liam no, but maybe at Theo," the girl observed.

Stiles glanced at her amused and satisfied. "The little girl has got it all"

 

Lydia rolled her eyes. "Do not worry, honey, they're fine, I would feel it if they were not," the banshee told her, putting a hand on her shoulder as they continued to move through the corridors.

 

Hayden stopped short at a crossroads. "What's up?" Stiles asked her.

"There are a lot of different smells down here and heartbeats, they're far away, but I think there are a lot of hunters waiting for us." she swallowed worriedly. Then she swerved sharply into the left corridor, with the others wheeling.

"So, what exactly happened?" Lydia asked.

"We came here thanks to Shawn's directions, we did not think it was a trap," Hayden explained, taking a firm step.

"Who is Shawn?" Stiles asked.

"A Peacemaker, he was the contact of the alpha of my pack, I think Valerie leaned on him to defend the pack, since our wolves are abstainers.When Theo and Liam stopped with us for the eclipse he has recognized them"

"You mean-" Lydia exclaimed "-that is the same peacemaker they had met?" Hayden nodded. "Do you think this Shawn knew he was leading you into a trap?" she asked then.

Hayden remained silent. "I do not know, I ... I do not think so, but I could be biased." she admitted. "I have not felt anything from him all the time, and I've known him for a year now, I do not think he would have done that," she added. _I do not think he would have done anything like that to me,_ she refrained from saying.  
"And where is he now?" Lydia asked. "If he were on our side, he could help us."  
"If he betrayed us, we'll find him with them." If not, he could be ... "Hayden stopped, gulping. She did not want to think about it.

  
At the umpteenth junction, the group stopped. "Where do we go?" Grace asked weakly. She was trying to use the sense of smell to perceive something, but she could not make out anything specific.  
Hayden moved her head to the right and to the left, when a clear smell came from the latter corridor. She shuddered, widening her eyes. "Did you smell something?"  
"Yes, Shawn," she murmured. She turned and looked at Stiles and Lydia. "I have to go for him"  
Lydia looked at Stiles, then nodded slowly. "Okay, let's go there, at least it's a track"  
They moved only a few steps, when a powerful roar came clear and distinct from the right aisle. The three stopped. Grace and Hayden looked at each other. "It's Liam!" the latter exclaimed.  
"What do we do?"  
"Okay, I know it's usually a bad idea, but we do not have much time," Stiles began. "Let's split up. Lydia and I look for Liam and Theo. Hayden, Grace go to this Shawn, with the sense of smell you can reach us as soon as you find him. "  
Hayden nodded then looked at the girl. "I know you would like to go to Theo and Liam-"  
"I'll help you find Shawn first," she interrupted. "I know that's what Liam would do"  
"Well, I'll see you later. Be careful, " Stiles said, as he and Lydia turned to the right, and Hayden and Grace continued to the left.

  
 

*

"Do you know where they brought him?" Liam asked with apprehension following Will along the corridors.  
"I'm not sure, but Jung made us set up a room for Monroe, so I guess he's there, or at least I hope," he mumbled. Liam looked around as he ran after the Peacemaker, trying to catch some smell. "Where did everybody go?" he then asked, knowing that they were alone for at least a kilometer.  
"Jung ordered the gathering around the Vase, I think they're waiting for your friends over there."  
"It's a trap?" he asked as his heart thundered.  
"Not really, but they want to generate conflict."  
"For the Vase," Liam understood.  
"The more we fight, the more the Vase accelerates the process, but if we stop, leaving us to slaughter or stand by and watch, they will get the same result."  
"We're fucked," Liam commented.  
"Probably yes," the other snorted, turning right and then stopping in front of a metal door. "Here we are, the room is this" he then said doubtfully  
"Come on, open up," Liam snapped. Will looked at him, pulling out the bunch of keys stolen from Nate and quickly opening the door.

  
Liam rushed in, while Will stood by the door, raising his rifle, quickly checking the perimeter. There was no one. Apart from the young boy fainted and still tied to a wire mesh.  
Liam stopped in front of Theo, looking at him worriedly looking for wounds. It seemed to be fine all in all.  
"What's that thing?" Will asked, the look that then settled on the bare table against the wall, where there was only a remote control.  
"An electrified network," Liam explained quickly, as he released Theo's wrists and then supported him from the shoulders, making him sit up against the wall.  
"It's horrible" Will commented, sliding the shotgun against his side and turning the remote control in his hands, before throwing it to the ground and crush it violently with his foot.  
Meanwhile, Liam had taken Theo's face in his hands, gently shaking him to wake him up. "Theo, wake up, please," he whispered softly. "Open your eyes"

  
Will moved his eyes around the room. Why was there no guard? It was strange. It smelled so much of a trap.  
He thought of Shawn, and glanced toward the two boys on the ground. "Wait, do not wake him up," he shouted, just as Theo coughed and groaned, slowly opening his eyes.  
Liam breathed a sigh of relief, his lips tilted in a faint smile, which vanished the moment when, when his eyes crossed the Theo's green ones, the latter suddenly became golden, the fangs lengthened as a growl clung in the boy's throat.

  
 

Liam's relieved expression was replaced by a surprise, as Theo threw himself at him, slamming him back to the ground with his hands clasped around his throat. Liam gave a stifled moan. "T-th-eo--"  
Will raised his rifle aiming it at Theo. "No, do not shoot him!" Liam screamed, making his eyes sparkle with red, and unsaddling Theo with a quick move , making him slam his back to the ground in turn, then snapping to stand in front of Will's line of sight, still looking at the boy. "Theo! Stop, you're not in you," Liam cried.

  
Theo growled weakly, his face twisted. "That's... what I am," he gasped, as if talking were hard for him. "I ... I hurt ... everything I love"  
Liam shook his head, raising a hand to him. "It's not true, it's not like that"  
"I killed my sister, I killed her _twice_ ," Theo snapped. "My parents died because of me," he made an almost mocking verse, while a lonely tear ran down from his left eye. "I killed Scott, I killed my own pack, I even tried to kill the Doctors who for ten years were the closest thing to a family I had"  
"You're not that person anymore, Theo, how many times do I have to repeat it?" Liam screamed angrily.  
"I could go back to being it, how can you have so much trust in me? How can you forgive me? How can you ... love me?" Theo's voice broke off at the last question, and another tear came down his cheek. "I will _always_ be that monster," he whispered finally, the still vivid image of Tara, and of the sixteen-year-old Liam, in his mind. "I ... I always kill those I love," he added in a lower voice.

  
Then he snapped forward, before Liam could foresee it. Liam held him by the shoulders, grabbing him by the arm and knocking him to the ground. Theo growled, moving to the ground to hit Liam in the legs. The latter lost his balance by hitting the ground with a thud.  
Then Theo glanced at Will standing before him, the rifle still lifted. "Do not move!" the Peacemaker shouted. He did not want to shoot him, but if it was necessary-

"No!" Liam cried in despair, distracting Will, as Theo snapped forward, snatching the shotgun from his hands and dropping it to the ground, before grabbing Will by the collar of his uniform and flinging him across the room. The hunter hit the wall and fell unconscious on the ground.  
Liam snapped to his feet. "Theo, stop!" he screamed, making his eyes sparkle and emitting a powerful roar.  
"I ... can not ..." he mumbled, stepping back. "There's only one way," he mumbled, panting.

Then with another growl, he hurled himself against Liam, pushing him against the cold wall with his body. Liam gasped suddenly, his vision blurred for a moment. Then he confronted the boy in front of him. His eyes were still yellow, but the expression was now more desperate than furious. "I beg you ... _kill me_ , Liam"

_*_

Grace and Hayden were now going through a long corridor studded with cells. While one controlled the right side, the other checked out the left. Grace moved faster and was already a few feet from Hayden, when she jumped at the sight of a body on the ground. She shuddered, looking at him cautiously. Then she looked up, seeing Shawn fainted on the ground. "Hayden, he's here!" she shouted happily, stepping over the man on the ground and clasping her hands on the bars to look at the boy.

Hayden joined her with a few steps and stopped to look first at Shawn and then the man on the ground. Grace imitated her and noticed a bunch of keys at a short distance to the man. With a snap she grabbed them and showed them to Hayden, satisfied. "Look what I found, maybe there's the key to the door." Hayden grabbed them slowly, still watching the situation. Why was there a man on the ground? A man who was evidently a Peacemaker? And why was the cell in front of Shawn's open? Hayden smelled the air, and though now mild, she sensed Theo and Liam's smells.

She tried several keys in the meantime, and after a dozen attempts she found the right one. She slipped into the cell while Grace watched her from outside, her hands still wrapped around the cold bars. "Is fine?" she asked weakly.

"Breathing," Hayden checked. Then her gaze fell on his neck, where the narcotizing dart was still stuck. She pulled it out with a dry gesture and then observed it. "What's that?" Grace asked anxiously.

"Just something to make him sleep," Hayden muttered, then moving her gaze to Shawn's face. It was full of dust, and from the traces on his cheeks he seemed to have cried.

"I think this guy shot it with this kind of shotgun," Grace said, who, when Hayden looked up, saw she had moved next to the unconscious man. The girl bent down to take the weapon. Then she looked at the guy, a wound in the forehead. "Someone knocked him out," she commented.

"Check if he's armed, I do not want him to wake up right now," Hayden told her.

Grace obeyed, and seemed to have a world of fun rummaging in his pockets. She found a lighter, a teaser and a small automatic hun in his trouser pocket.. She threw away the lighter, while she put the gun on the ground behind her with the anesthetic rifle, then turned the teaser in her hands in an attempt to figure out what it was. When pressing one of the buttons, this trembled in her hand, emitting an electric shock, she jumped from fear almost letting it fall.

"Grace, do not play with that stuff," Hayden warned. The girl turned back to her, coming back to the bars to look at her guilt, while she had begun shaking Shawn. "Shawn, wake up," she said softly. It took a few seconds for Shawn to give signs of life. He coughed and grunted and his left hand slowly covered his eyes.

"Do not ... do not wake him up," A voice said hoarsely behind them, and Grace jumped when she heard someone grab her ankle. She shrieked, turning to look at the man on the ground.

Hayden snapped to his feet, while Shawn groaned and finally opened his eyes. Grace tried to free herself from the man's grip, her eyes turning blue in reaction to fear.

"You're a blue eye," the hunter mumbled on the ground, jumping up, and grabbing the girl by the neck. Grace screamed again, and Hayden started to shoot forward, but she did not have time to get to the door that there was a sizzle, a moan and the man fell back to the ground.

Hayden stopped, while Grace turned to look at her with the teaser still in his hand and eyes blue electric, panting to catch her breath "I did not mean it," she murmured, throwing away the teaser, guiltily.

Hayden sighed relieved, holding back a smile and turned to look at Shawn, who had finally pulled himself to his feet, massaging the spot where he had been struck with the anesthetic, and had followed the whole scene with wide eyes. His expression changed when Grace turned to show her eyes.

"Shawn" called him Hayden. "Are you OK?"

"Yes," he said, automatically with a thick voice. He took a few steps forward.

"Where are Theo and Liam?" asked Hayden. He shook his head slowly. "Are you sure you're okay?" the girl asked him again, doubtful. He seemed upset, not very polished, almost in a trance.

"Let's go look for them," he said only mechanically. He stopped before the man on the ground. And he bent down, rummaging in his pockets.

"Are you looking for this?" Grace asked him, holding out his gun. He looked up at her, and nodded slowly, stretching out his hand under Hayden's worried gaze. Grace put the gun on his palm and watched as Shawn tossed it in his hands. He opened it to check for any bullets, then snapped the charger, and without warning, he pointed it at Grace.

*

"Ki ... kill me Liam," Theo mumbled, his face twisted, his body pushing Liam's to the wall, his forearm pressing against his trachea. Liam looked up at his greasy golden eyes. "Forget it, Theo, I will never do such a thing," Liam stammered.

Theo growled. "Liam ... please ... it's not worth the risk of dying for me ... it's not worth trying to save me ... I'll always be what I am, nothing I will do or say, can change this. .- "

"Well, if you really believe it - if you want to go on with this," Liam mumbled, bringing his right hand to wrap the wrist of Theo's free hand, claws in plain sight. "- then _you_ will have to kill _me_."

And with a dry gesture, Liam pulled Theo's hand against his stomach, where the claws went to stick in it. Theo shuddered, trying to free himself weakly from his grip, eyes wide open in Liam's. "Liam-" Theo growled.

Liam interrupted him. "But I know you can stop it, you can do it Theo, you're not the person you were, I know because I saw it, because I was there, in this last year you did everything to start over. As impossible as it seemed, no one wanted to believe it, but you made it ... You're not a monster, Theo, you've _never_ been a monster, and I have absolute trust in you, I'm entrusting you with my life, and I love you more than anything else in the world, I love you for what you are, because you're important, because _you're worth it_ , Theo, it's worth dying for you, it's worth fighting for you, never doubting it. And it's time for you to think like that too, it's time for you to start trusting yourself, it's time for you to start _loving_ yourself, as much as I do "

Liam's arm left the grip on Theo's wrist, giving him the chance to sink them deep down or let him go. Theo closed his eyes, gasping, his body trembling, while slowly his face resumed human features. Liam could feel his claws withdraw from his flesh. Theo shuddered as he pushed his hand back, sliding it inertly along his side. Then he opened his eyes again, showing the green irises. And he crossed Liam'sblue ones, whose lips bent into a faint smile.

"You're back," he said only with a moan of relief.

"It's because of you, again. It's everything always _because of you_ ," Theo whispered, not daring to raise his hands to touch Liam "I'm sor-"  
"Do not say it," Liam interrupted, cupping his hands on the boy's face and pulling him into a disordered and desperate kiss. After a moment's hesitation, Theo responded to the kiss by gently pushing Liam back against the wall behind him, finally raising his arms to hold one his waist and the other one his neck. When they parted, both breathless and overwhelmed by the situation, Theo laid his forehead against Liam's. "Thank you for never giving up on me, I love you so much, Li"  
"I love you so much too," Liam whispered.

 

  
"As much as it is a lovely scene," a voice caught their attention, making them turn, and meeting the sight of a hunter, his rifle pointed straight at them, at the end of the corridor. "- it's time for you to say goodbye"  
Theo turned his back to Liam's body as if to shield him, while his finger swung on the trigger. Theo closed his eyes, just as a chilling cry rumbled through the corridor, and the hunter's body made a flight of several meters to clash against the wall and ruin unconscious. Theo opened his eyes and looked at Liam, then turned back to where the man was before, and where Lydia and Stiles had appeared running and breathless now.  
"Liam!" Lydia exclaimed, running towards them. Theo breathed a sigh of relief, sliding to the ground, his back against the wall, while Lydia involved Liam in a hug.  
Stiles ran after the girl, putting the gun in his holster, and throwing himself next to Theo. "Are you okay Theo?" Theo looked up at him, simply nodding.  
Lydia looked at them, shocked and with watery eyes. "I felt it, I felt you were going to die," she stammered. "I thought it was too late"  
Stiles stood up, wrapping his arms around her. "It's all right, they're fine now"  
"No, it's not really anything alright," Liam exclaimed. "It's a trap, they wanted you here, that's why they got us, and let Hayden free to warn you"  
"What do you mean?" Stiles asked.  
"They will use us to generate conflict, and accelerate the process, and when the reset takes place, eliminate us in one fell swoop," Theo added, still on the ground.  
"Who came? Are you all in there?" Liam pressed. Lydia nodded.  
"The others remained outside, they were held by some hunters"  
"We have to follow Monroe, she will take us to the Vase. We have to close it before it's too late"  
"Close it? How?" Liam asked.  
Stiles looked at him. "Maya, Maya is our last hope ... _literally_ "

  
 

  
*

"This place looks like a maze," Isaac complained.  
"This place _is_ a maze," Malia said, who along with Scott was the first in line.  
"Do you feel something?" Nolan asked.  
"There are too many smells, it's hard to focus only on one," Malia muttered, stopping when they found themselves at the first fork.  
"And now?" Kira asked.  
"Good question," the coyote said.  
"On the right," Maya's voice suddenly came from the back. "We have to go on the right," she repeated slowly, while everyone turned to look at her.  
"Can you feel the vase?" Scott asked hopefully.  
"Now that we're down here, I do," she replied.  
"Great, then make your way," Malia exclaimed raising a hand high. Maya obeyed them all by guiding them to the right.  
The group had managed to get rid of the group of hunters, and now roamed the underground tunnels in pursuit of Monroe. The wounds on their bodies were already healing, the only one still having a showy cut on the face and an almost black eye was Nolan, who also walked holding his hand on his side.  
"Are you OK?" Kira asked him.  
"Yes, it's the wound, Melissa sewed it up, but it still hurts, I hope it has not reopened," he grumbled.  
"Maybe you should have stayed at the base with the others," the worried kitsune said.  
"No I want to help if I can, I could not stay there" he replied dryly "Monroe ... must pay for what she did"  
"Stop everybody," Scott exclaimed, turning and waving meaning to low his voices.  
"What's up?" Ian asked.  
"Someone is approaching" Malia answered for him, turning to the point where at the end of the corridor, the latter intersected with another.  
"Hunters?"  
"I do not know, I do not understand anything anymore with all these smells," Malia complained.  
"But they are three or four, and they run fast towards us"  
"Okay, get ready," Scott warned. "The priority is to protect Maya"  
Malia snapped her claws as Ian raised the gun.

  
 

"Stiles, you're an idiot, I told you we had to go to the right" Theo's annoyed voice broke the tension, making Malia snort and Scott rolled his eyes, just as the four turned the corner.

"Guys!" Stiles exclaimed as soon as he saw them. "You did it! See, Theo? Left was the right direction!" he blurted out then looking at the other.

"No, you really had to go to the right," Maya commented. Theo gave Stiles his usual sneer.

"Liam, Theo ... I'm so happy you're fine!" Scott exclaimed, hugging his beta, and then patting Theo on the shoulder.

"Well, fine is not really the right word, but ... I'm happy to see you too," Theo commented.

Liam looked around "Where are Hayden and Grace?"

"Ah, they were with us, did not I tell you?" Stiles said "They went looking for Shawn"

Liam paled "Did they go to Shawn ?!"

"What's the problem?" Theo asked.

"That Shawn is infected," Liam snapped.

"Ops," Stiles commented. Theo bit his worried lip. "You'll see that they're fine, Hayden will manage something, she's the one who knows him better than anyone"

"They're fine, I would feel it if they were not," Lydia reassured him then.

Liam sighed worried.

"Now we should go, we are close and there is not much time left," Maya said, turning her wrist so that everyone saw the 2 slowly turn into a 1.

"How much do we have?" asked Scott weakly.

"An hour at most"

"Great, let's go!"

*

Grace went back along the corridor, her wide eyes staring at Shawn, the gun pointed at her. "Shawn, what are you doing? Get down that gun, "Hayden snapped, getting between the two.

"Get out of the way Hayden, or I'll shoot you too," he said coldly.

Hayden jumped at the boy's icy tone. "What's got you?" whispered.

"She is a murderer, and it has be eliminated," Shawn said in his mechanical tone.

"She's just a child!" Hayden blurted.

"We kill who kills," he quoted slowly. "It's that ..." For the first time, his voice seemed to crack ".. that's what we do, it does not matter if the others forget," he added. Now he seemed upset.

"What are you talking about?" Hayden asked weakly.

"It does not matter if the others have betrayed the code of conduct of the order, I won't. I will continue to do what I was born for, even at the cost of killing them all. "Shawn's hand trembled around the gun and Hayden shuddered. She was beginning to understand. Shawn did not know anything about that story, had he been betrayed by his own order and imprisoned?

Grace continued to follow the speeches of the two, eyes on the gun. She was frightened, especially by the out of line look that now the boy had, the same one she had known, but who now looked like another. person It was that awareness that made her realize something.

"What's his important thing?" she shouted to Hayden.

"What?"

"The important thing, that does not make monsters the werewolves"

Hayden's eyes widened. _Grace was talking about the anchor?_ And Liam ... had not said something about hope? It was obvious that Shawn had been infected, it must have been a hard shock to discover that his own order was the maker of all that pain and destruction. _Order is my only reason for living_ , he had said only a few days before.

"Shawn," Hayden shouted, beginning to understand "Listen to me!" Hayden took a step forward, just as Grace came to the end of the hallway, clashing against the wall. "It should not be a bunch of fanatics to determine who you are, Shawn." Hayden screamed again, finally drawing the attention of Shawn, and turning it away from Grace. But he did not lower his arm, the gun still pointed at the child. "But you are right, if they have denied what they believed in, it does not mean that the order does not exist any more.There will be as long as there is only one person left to fight for it, and that person is you." Hayden dared to take a few steps toward the boy, who did not move. "So show it to everyone, doing what the order was born for, and not-" Hayden grabbed the boy's wrist now. "- kill a child, but _protect the Vase_ , if you kill her, you will only do the will of those who sowed all this evil, no? What you have to do is help us _stop it_ , this is what you were born for, right?” Hayden's voice grew softer as she slowly tried to shake Shawn's hand. He remained inert, his eyes still fixed on hers, and he did not object. "Shawn, you told me that the order is your only reason for living, remember? Now, instead, _you_ are the only reason why the _order_ is still alive, do not throw it away, or it will have been all vain "

Hayden, without interrupting eye contact, took the gun from Shawn's hand, then quickly slipped it into the back pocket of her jeans, while the other hand remained tight around the boy's. He watched Shawn's face relax. "Do you feel better?" the girl asked weakly.

He nodded, his eyes wavery. "I feel ... lighter," he whispered. "Thank you, did you ... did you you freed me?"

Hayden nodded with a weak smile. "You're welcome"

Shawn turned to Grace, who looked at him worriedly. "I'm sorry ..." the girl said, looking down and catching them by surprise. "-if I am a murderer, I never wanted to hurt someone"

"I know," Shawn said slowly. "I hurt too many people, some maybe deserved it, some were just like you ... I thought it was my duty as a peacemaker, but now I'm starting to wonder ... if maybe there was a other way..."

"Well, we could always do things better ... once we stop the end of the world," Hayden commented, looking at them with a slight smile.

"Right," said Grace, venturing to approach them. "Let's go save the world!" the girl giggled.

Hayden laughed before moving away from Shawn to make way. But Shawn held her by the hand, making her turn to look at him with a questioning look. "But first ... because tomorrow we may not be here anymore ... there's something I wanted to do for a while," he said slowly.

"Really? And what?" Hayden whispered, while Shawn brought her even closer by pulling her hand. "That," he said before placing his lips on hers. Hayden answered the kiss, wrapping his arms around Shawn's neck, and forgetting about the rest for a few moments.

Until she remembered Grace staring at them for minutes with a big smile and heart-eyes. She moved a few inches away from Shawn, her arms still around him. "Not in front of the children," she told him with a smile.

"Oh do not worry, pretend I am not here," Grace laughed.

Shawn laughed too, walking away but letting his hand slip into Hayden's again. "How did you say Grace? Let's go save the world," he said, moving away from the cell that had held him so long.

*

"Here we are, it's at the bottom of this tunnel," Maya whispered, stopping. The tunnel before them was long and narrow, bordered by small lighted torches.

"Well, let's go," Scott said, getting ahead. They walked for a few minutes, until a slight breeze made them understand they were about to come to an end. Suddenly the tunnel began to widen more and more, until the group found itself in front of an immense underground space. Malia looked up, the ceiling was so far away that it could hardly be distinguished. The cave was circular, the porous and etched stone walls lightly illuminated by the torches fixed here and there. But what constituted the greatest source of light, was the luminous column that started from an altar placed at the center on a rise stone floor. The column, as noted by Scott, looking better, started just from a huge stone casket. And it was a violet color that seemed to disappear beyond the ceiling.

"That ... that's the vase?" Liam asked weakly.

"That's right," answered a voice several meters away from them. The group took a few steps forward, noticing at that moment the two figures standing next to the vase. Monroe and Jung.

Malia looked around. To the hundreds of people who were advancing from the dark bottom of the cave to them. She swallowed. "Scott," she whispered. "There's just so many"

"We have to get to that Vase," Scott exclaimed.

"Do you see that?" Isaac whispered as the group sat in a semicircle around Maya. "What's on the ground around the altar?"

"Mountain ash" Theo muttered. "We are screwed"

"It means that to get there we must first get rid of all of them," Lydia said.

"Very easy," Stiles commented ironically.

"Okay, Stiles, Ian, stay at the entrance with Maya and Isaac, use your guns only if necessary, everyone else, with me."

"Try not to kill, or we'll end up expediting the process further," Maya warned.

"I assure you nothing," growled Malia.

"Idem" Theo agreed with her.

Lydia met Stiles' gaze, Stiles tightened his grip on the gun, swallowing and sweating cold. "I love you," he whispered as she approached, putting a quick kiss on his lips.

"I love you too," she replied, looking into his eyes one last time before turning back and going back between Malia and Kira.

"You are ready?" Scott said, watching the army march inexorably against them.

"Yes, we will not let them get to Maya," Isaac whispered.

"So what are we doing?"

"We run towards him like crazy?" Liam asked, amused.

"I like it," commented Theo.

"Me too," Malia muttered.

"Do I have another choice?" Lydia said, rolling her eyes.

"I do not think so," Kira answered.

"Then let's do it," Nolan exclaimed.

And they did it.

*

Scott was engaged in a close combat with three hunters, while Malia had landed one by putting him astride and filling him with fists.

Theo and Liam were fighting back to back against the most sizable group.

Even Lydia and Nolan were shoulder to shoulder, in the rear, keeping at distance with their voices any hunter surpassed the first line constituted by the supernatural.

Kira was fighting against five hunters armed with forks and spiked bat, while Stiles, Ian and Isaac were ready to attack anyone who had passed the first line and the second consisting of Lydia and Nolan. About twenty hunters were already unconscious.

But they also probably had back lines, because after a few minutes, some of those who remained strategically back, had extracted their weapons to shoot from the shadows.

The first to be hit was Kira. The shot hit her right shoulder and dropped her to the ground.

Then it was Malia who was closest to the mountain ash circle, and who was hit in the left leg. The coyote groaned growling and ending up on her knees.

Theo managed to block one of the hunters who had aimed his rifle at Scott, ripped the rifle from his hand, and grabbed him by the shirt and slammed him against the wall.

"Watch out Theo!" Liam yelled several meters down. Theo turned to see a young hunter coming toward him with a large dagger in his hand. Theo grabbed his armed wrist, turning the body of the enemy so that he stood with his chest against his back. And increasing his grip on his wrist, he forced his own hand to poke the dagger into his stomach.

Ian, who had followed the scene wide-eyed, noticed the sniper a few yards from Theo, and shot him firmly in the chest. He mentally thanked the hours spent at the polygon in those last years.

Liam kicked away a hunter, and then knocked out with a punch another one. When he stopped to catch his breath, someone grabbed him from behind, clasping an arm around his neck with strength while the other hand went to shut his mouth. Liam groaned, moving to free himself. He felt strangely weak, and only realized a few moments later that the glove he had pressed on his face was full of wolfbane.

"Liam!" Nolan shouted. A few seconds later, the boy screamed, fully investing both the hunter and the werewolf. They both flew for a few meters, crashing against the wall. The hunter fell unconscious, while Liam coughed from the ground, a bleeding wound to his temple, trying to catch his breath, but at least free.

"Liam!" Theo exclaimed, coming next to him.

"I'm fine," he assured him, coming back and standing back next to his partner

"They are too many," Theo noted, worried. "And we are too few"

The two watched Malia fight despite her leg wound with Scott by her side. Isaac had finally left the place next to Maya, Ian and Stiles, and was helping Kira, wounded, to fight another group of hunters. Lydia and Nolan also seemed exhausted. Above all, Nolan held his side, where a small patch of blood had begun to spread. "The wound has reopened," he mumbled to Lydia.

Lydia looked up at the battle. The hunters advanced in waves, about twenty at a time. But every time another came, the supernatural were more and more exhausted.

"They are exhausting us," Lydia whispered.

"And time is running out," Nolan muttered.

"Do not give up," Scott shouted somewhere. "We have to keep fighting"

"It's almost time," Jung whispered, walking around the vase, while Monroe followed his gaze avidly. "Not much and they will all disappear." Monroe smiled at him, admiring the vase, and then looking up at her ally.

At that moment a roar resounded throughout the cave. There was a hiss and at the same time white smoke invaded the entire area. "What happens?" Monroe asked coughing.

Scott coughed, looking for Malia, and grabbed her hand. "What was it?" she cried.

"Theo" Liam looked for the boy who pushed him against the wall as he tried to see something beyond the smokescreen.

"A smoke bomb," Lydia whispered to Nolan. "Where did it come from?"

"Damn, you can not see anything," Isaac growled, supporting Kira, still healing.

Ian looked up in shock at the satisfied Stiles. His gaze followed as the smoke cleared. Slowly he focused several shapes standing at the entrance to the cave. He had no idea who they were. But others apparently yes.

Scott widened his eyes, meeting Derek's satisfied grin. "I thought you needed a hand," he commented.

Slowly he focused Argent, Breaden and Peter standing beside him. Then Parrish and the sheriff armed to the teeth, standing next to his father. _There was even his father_ , he found himself thinking. And behind him there were a dozen FBI agents.

On the right of Derek there was Miguel, with his pack, and there was also Cora, and he recognized some Calavera hunters. Then there were Jackson, Aiden and Noshiko. And next to them, Hayden, and the little Grace, and two boys he did not know.

Behind the anti-breakout barriers positioned by FBI agents, Scott saw Maya, yanked in a hug by Lisa, with Alec, Mason and Corey beside her.

"You're all here ... how-?"

"Stiles called us" Derek answered "He thought it was better not to make last year mistake"

"We're all in this together, McCall," Jackson said.

"We will fight together until the end," Argent concluded, loading the rifle.

"Well, then let's fight," Theo said, crossing Liam's eyes, who smiled.

"Let's fight, and do not try to die for me"

"I will do it if you promise you will not die for me either"

"I'll try"

And all together, they took the fight.

  
_TO BE CONTINUED_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was hoping to end the story with this chapter, but in the end the situation got out of my hand. But the next will definitely be the last, I swear ^^'


	31. Brave new world

The immense cave, lit only by the immense violet beam of light that emerged from Pandora's Box, echoed with shots and sounds of struggle, while the battle raged violently.

"Stay back!" Sheriff Stilinski cried next to Stiles and Raphael, looking back quickly to look at Alec, Lisa, Corey and Mason behind the FBI agents' riot barriers. Mason could not help but look helplessly at the battle raging before his eyes, while Corey pulled him back down the tunnel. "We can not do anything now, we'll be only in their way" he whispered. "We can just wait"

"I hate waiting," Alec muttered from his side as Lisa clutched in her arms.

Shawn watched as Hayden spread one, two hunters, leaning out from behind a large rock.

"What do we do?" Will shouted at his side, getting up and firing at another hunter who had come too close to Nolan and Lydia, before sneaking up.

"I do not know," Shawn mumbled trying to catch his breath. "Time is running out"

Ian on the other side of the entrance, also sheltered behind a large rock, looked at Maya beside him. "How much time?" Maya looked at her wrist and shook her head before showing it to him. The number one was slowly fading. "Few minutes"

Ian quivered anxiously, before putting his hand in his pockets, the tight grip around the object. "We have to get over that circle," Isaac shouted, a few feet away from them, as he spread another hunter with a fist.

"Only a human being can do it," Ethan said, who was fighting alongside Jackson, where hunters fell paralyzed under his claws.

"Well, we do have a lot of human beings or am I wrong?" Theo snapped, watching as Liam flew a Peacemaker against the wall, little Grace with her back against the wall behind them.

"Too bad that if they shoot us, we die," Ian said from his hiding place, to which Theo rolled his eyes.

"Enough talk, more action," Malia said, next to Peter and Kira.

Kira, still in the healing phase, was fighting with a hunter, while Malia was barely standing on her legs. Scott looked at Derek by his side, while the one knocked another Peacemakers to the ground. Then he looked around, counting the remaining enemies, now most had fallen, faint or too hurt to move. Then he looked up at Monroe and Jung, safe in the circle a few dozen yards from the battle.

"What are we going to do, Scott?" Liam cried. Scott did not know.

Parrish, the body in flames, hurled himself against another hunter, and grabbed him by the collar and flung him against the wall. That rattled on the ground, a few meters from them. Still conscious, Parrish saw him rummage in his pocket and with a quick gesture pulled out and pulled the safety of a grenade.

The deputy sheriff opened his eyes, before screaming "Everybody, get down!"

Everyone looked up alarmed, as the bomb exploded, and Parrish threw himself on it to reduce its impact. Despite the power was reduced, the shock wave overwhelmed all those in the immediate vicinity. A few hunters, Jackson, Ethan, Kira, Malia, the sheriff and Raphael flew a few meters, and the latter two remained on the ground senseless.

"Dad!" Screamed Scott and Stiles at the same time, running towards them.

Lydia reached Malia, while Isaac approached Kira and Derek to Jackson and Ethan. The latter were seriously injured, conscious but would not recover quickly, Derek thought, absorbing some of their pain.

"Give up, Scott," Monroe said from her corner. Despite their army being on the ground, they were sure of victory. Jung raised his crossbow, firing quickly at Lydia. The banshee widened her eyes before she felt pulled away and fell to the ground. She looked up at Peter, the arrow stuck in his right arm and the blood coming down copiously.

"I will shoot on sight anyone who will approach this circle," Jung said. "It's your end. Give up "

" _Never_ " Scott said, making his eyes glow. Derek, Isaac, Liam and Theo, the only ones still standing stood next to him. Hayden pulled Grace back, pushing her next to Shawn and Will.

Ian looked at Stiles, still kneeling beside the sheriff. He caught his eye, then moved it to the four FBI men still standing. Apart from them and himself, Stiles, the two Peacemakers and the four boys hidden in the tunnels a few steps away from them were the only humans left conscious. He had to do something.

He squeezed his hand around the object in his pocket and looked at the gun in his hand. Then he looked up and over the boulder that protected him from the shots, he met Monroe's eyes. This moved her head imperceptibly as if in a gesture, and he recalled his words _"You will understand by yourself when it is time to reach me"_

Ian grabbed the object in his pocket and threw it on the ground, toward the entrance, under Maya wide eyes . "What-" she began to say, but Ian stood up suddenly, covering her hand and nose, pushing her against the wall, before covering his own nose and mouth. There was a roar, then the smoke invaded the cave.

Mason looked up, as the shock wave also pushed the smoke towards them, quickly invading the tunnel. "What the hell-?"

Corey's eyes widened, recognizing the sensation. "Oh no, soporific gas," he mumbled, feeling weak. He watched the four FBI men fall to the ground, while he slowly felt himself sliding down, Mason, Lisa and Alec beside him.

Shawn had had time to cover his nose and mouth, but Will and Grace had not been so lucky. Scott and the others, who were the most distant, had seen him coming

"Do not breathe," Lydia shouted from her seat as she saw Nolan faint a little behind her, followed by Hayden.

"What happened?" Liam cried, trying to see beyond the smoke. "He was shot from the bottom," Theo whispered.

Scott and Derek looked around to recognize the source, while the smoke slowly thinned out. It was at that moment that someone shouted. Isaac's eyes widened, shooting "Maya!"

When the smoke cleared, the group found themselves in front of a scene they did not expect.

  
 

Ian held his left arm around Maya's neck, while his right hand pointed the gun to his head. "Ian, what are you doing?" Stiles exclaimed standing up.

Lydia imitated him, while both reached Scott, Derek, Theo, Liam and Isaac. "Stay there, do not move or I will shoot her!" Ian exclaimed.

Then he turned to Shawn, still hidden next to him. "You, come out of there and stand next to them. First, put that gun on the ground. "Shawn hesitated a second. "Do it or she dies"

"Okay okay," Shawn muttered, putting down his weapon and cautiously reaching the group.

"Now she comes with us," Ian said, slowly pushing the girl over the group. "Stay back," he ordered again, turning his back on Jung and Monroe, approaching the mountain ash circle, the gun still pointing to Maya's temple.

"Ian, you don't know what you're doing," Scott tried to say.

"Oh I _do_ know what I'm doing," he whispered in reply, under the satisfied gaze of Monroe. Maya tried to wriggle from the iron grip of the boy, watery eyes and struggling to breathe.

He crossed the barrier with one foot, and then with the other, carrin' Maya with him.

"Great job, Ian," she said, approaching behind him.

"Yes, I think that too," the boy said slowly.

Then with a quick gesture he pushed Maya forcefully, making her ruin on the ground. Then he aimed the weapon at Jung by shooting him in the right leg, and with an unheard of force he slapped a slap on Monroe's cheekbone, causing her to fall, the gun flying a few steps away.

"Now Stiles!" Ian shouted as he threw himself on Monroe, holding her by his wrists. But Shawn was faster. He snapped to Jung, crossing the barrier, and charged him with a flight of several meters.

Ian looked at Maya shocked on the ground screaming and panting as he tried to block the slayer. "Maya, go, do it now!"

Like the other spectators, Maya finally seemed to connect the pieces, and jumped up, running to the vase. She looked at it for a moment and then slowly raised her face to the top where the beam of light disappeared. Then she came back down. The vase was made of stone, and the engravings shine with their own light. Maya laid both hands on its sides and closed her eyes. " _Requio ex malo_ " she whispered.

At one the earth trembled. Ian loosened his grip for a second, and Monroe kneed in the stomach, pushing it upward and freeing herself. She took a shot to get to the gun, but Ian grabbed her ankle from the ground, blocking her and making her fall down again.

"What are you doing, you stupid kid?" She shouted.

"What's right," Ian replied, as Monroe turned with her face upward, striking it with her free foot on his cheekbone. The others could not help but look helplessly at the scene, the four human beings still locked up in the supernatural cage.

Meanwhile, the beam of violet light that first flowed upward had reversed its direction inward. "It's working!" Liam whispered.

Meanwhile Shawn seemed to get the better of Jung, wounded in the leg. He gave him a punch and then another. " _This_ is for the Vase- _this_ is for all the people who died because of you- _this_ is for what you let me through-" And he punctuated each phrase with a fist. "And yes, it's the anger that speaks for me"

Monroe managed to get back on her feet, and pushed her foot against Ian's chest. "Do you think they deserve all this? You should fight alongside those of _your_ race "

"There is no race" he gasped. "There's only the right and the wrong, and you're the one to eliminate." Ian gasped trying to breathe. "Do you know what the Vase really do? Annihilate those who have no hope, those who do not have faith, those who do not believe in others, those who let themselves be consumed by Evil ... who do you think will disappear if it finish its purification? _Us or you?_ "

Monroe let out a snarl-like line, letting go of Ian, and snapping toward the gun at the exact moment Shawn came to his feet, pulling up a bruised and junging Jung from his coat collar and hurling it over the barrier a few steps from Scott and the others. Immediately Theo was on him immobilizing him.

Shawn started to catch his breath before helping Ian, when Monroe grabbed the gun, and met his gaze. "I told him he had to kill you when he had the chance." she only said, shooting and hitting him on the left shoulder. Shawn with a gasp collapse to the ground.

"Shawn!" Liam exclaimed helplessly. Then Monroe aimed the gun at Maya. Ian staggered back to his feet. "Stop or I'll stop you!" Monroe shouted. Maya did not seem to hear, her eyes closed, hands wrapped around the Vase. "Okay whatever you like-" she said, slipping her hand on the trigger.

"No!" Ian shouted, grabbing her arm and deflecting the body. One, two shots, flew up to the ceiling in the air. Ian tightened his grip on Monroe's arm. This wrapped her free arm around Ian's throat, her chest against his back, in an attempt to neutralize his resistance. In an instant Ian already knew what to do, there was only one way. Maya could not die. It was the only hope of blocking the process. And he could not hold Monroe so long.

"Stiles, shoot them!" Isaac shouted. "I can not, I'd hit Ian!" He shouted in response

With a snap, Ian wore the wrist of the Monroe, tilting it hard so that he aimed at himself. "What-?" Monroe was stunned by the move.

"It's worth dying, if it means that I can take you with me and free the world from the evil you represent," said Ian, tightening his grip on Monroe's hand, who was trying to get away. But it was too late. She barely had time to move her arm that crushed Ian's trachea, when Ian pulled the trigger, pressing his finger firmly against the hunter's, and the shot seemed to echo throughout the vast cavern. The bullet, fired so close, passed the boy's chest, and stuck in Monroe's. As if in slow motion, the gun fell from the hunter's hands, while Ian lost his grip, and the two fell back.

"Ian !!" Stiles screamed, running towards the barrier, and stopping to break it. With a leap he was next to him. Scott, Liam, Theo, Lydia and Isaac around.

Theo's gaze swayed on Monroe, eyes open, but dull. The blow had come straight to her heart.

Ian gave a stifled cough, his face caught in sweat, while Stiles held his head on his knees. "Scott, you can-" Scott shook his head in pain. It was late to absorb his pain. "I'm sorry," Stiles mumbled in tears. "It should not have been like that"

"I ... I'm happy, I did the.. ... right thing... my brother ... he would have been happy to fight with you ... he did not have the chance to accept what he was ... for all these years... I hated you ... I ... I owed it to you ... "Ian's voice became more and more faint, while a tear wet his face. "I ... I ..." And with a final sigh, his heart stopped.

Stiles sobbed as Lydia leaned close to him, closing his eyes slowly. "In the end it was him who saved us," she whispered.

Liam, who had watched the scene sadly, approached Theo, slipping his hand into his and squeezing it tightly, as if to make sure they were still there, that they were still alive.

Another cough attracted their attention, and Liam and Theo looked at each other before rushing to Shawn. "Is it over?" He asked weakly.

"Yes, stay still now," Theo muttered, taking off his jacket and pressing it to the wound to stop the bleeding, while Liam absorbed some of his pain.

Instead, Lydia and Isaac looked up at the column of light, which slowly grew thinner. With a final jolt, the earth trembling beneath them, the light faded into the vase, and slowly Maya's hands parted from the stone surface of the casket, slowly opening her eyes.

Isaac smiled at her when he met her gaze and she returned.

"Is it really over?" Liam asked. Maya nodded, the expression relieved but firm. She took a few steps back and turned to look at them. Stopping for a moment on the body of Monroe and Ian, and on Jung fainted a few meters from them. Then on all the bodies scattered around the cave. "Promise me something, will you look for a way to prevent this from happening again?" She whispered. "It is time for your two worlds to flow into each other, to accept each other. Only in this way things will change "

The group stood looking at her in silence, a little 'baffled. Then Maya smiled sadly as her body slowly began to glow. Isaac opened his eyes and Scott took a step toward her. "What's up?" He exclaimed.

"My time here is over"

"No, no- what does that mean?" Isaac stammered.

"I have to go back to where I came from, and being there if eventually will be need again one day, I hope very far"

"No ..." Isaac whispered, approaching her and putting him in front of her. "You ... are you disappearing?"

Maya nodded sadly. "I was never destined to stay, I just had to fulfill my duty, I was created for this"

"It's not ... it's not fair," Isaac mumbled. Maya gave him another sad smile, and put her hands on his shoulders, taking a step closer.

"Do you know why you were the first to find me? Because you were the one who most of all was looking for some hope. You were afraid of suffering, but at the same time you did not want to resign yourself. I was guided to you so I could teach you this, "Maya said, moving her hands over Isaac's face, and stepping forward again so that their fronts touched.

"Teach me what?" Isaac asked trembling, a tear sliding down his left cheek. "That as much as I can love, will I continue to see people die? Will I continue to lose them? "

"No," Maya whispered "That as much as it hurts, no matter how much it can make you suffer, you'll end up loving again, you'll love again and it will be incredible as the first time" Maya tightened her grip on Isaac's neck, getting closer. "Never lose hope" she whispered, then putting her lips on Isaac's. Though Maya's body was now icy, her skin glowing, her lips were warm, Isaac thought as he held her for the last time.

After what seemed like an eternity, Maya separated from him and took a step back, looking up at everyone else. "Never lose hope. It is in that that they have failed. " She then said aloud, still looking at Jung handcuffed on the ground and then at the Monroe body "The Peacemakers have spent generations looking for the evil that they have ended up forgetting to see the Good. And the hunters have gone so far as to ignore the human side of supernatural creatures that they end up forgetting their own. Never lose hope that the world can still be better, do not do it, and those who died will not be dead in vain. And never stop fighting for what's worth be saved. "Maya looked at Scott who nodded, then smiled. The girl took another step back, her body beginning to dissolve into particles of light, a violet trail that spiraled into the Vase. "It was nice to meet you, these two months have been the best of all my existence. Thank you. "And with a final sigh, her eyes closed and her cheeks wet with tears, she disappeared.

Isaac bent his head, weeping and Scott approached him putting a hand on his shoulder. When he looked up to look at him, Scott pulled him in a hug. Liam sighed and looked at Theo. "We are alive," he said slowly.

"Not all of us," Theo added sadly, to which Liam let out a trembling sigh and threw himself into Theo's arms.

"Theo! Liam! "Exclaimed a voice behind them, before a small body threw between them.

"Hey, are you okay ?!" Theo exclaimed holding Grace.

"Ah-ah," she said, sinking her head in Theo's shoulder.

Lydia hugged herself to Stiles, while Derek came up with a wounded, unconscious-looking Breaden in his arms. Hayden was supporting Shawn with Isaac. Kira and her mother, now waken up, came limping. Peter, the now healed shoulder, approached Malia, still fainted, taking her in his arms. Scott helped Jackson and Ethan get up slowly.

Argent bent over Parrish. "Are you OK?"

"I will heal, the sheriff and Raphael?"

“Still faint, better wake them up, there are a lot of people to be arrested here, "he said, looking around.

"And now?" Liam asked as the group gathered in the middle of the room.

"Now let's go back home," Scott said, "but I think that all of this served as a lesson, Maya is right, the only way things can get better is everyone to start accepting us. And us starting adapting to the rules of the human world "

"It will not be easy," Derek said.

"But it's something to start with," Argent said.

"Let's go home"

*

  
 

The next day, they were all gathered in the loft. Stiles looked up at them. "The FBI took all hunters and peacemakers into custody. They found the corpses of the people of the village in an open grave not far from the building. They will probably all end up in jail. And from tomorrow, the whole world will know about the supernatural. What happened did not go unnoticed. "

"So now what do you do?"

"What Maya said. We build a better world. And to do that, we have to give ourselves rules, like everyone else, "Scott said. "It will take years, but perhaps our children will not have to be afraid when they go out home, maybe when they will be teenagers, and take our place, no one will look at them more with hatred and suspicion."

"But first-" Stiles interjected, stepping forward. "Think of the present" He approached the table and placed a vial on it.

Everyone looked at him. "What is that?"

"Ian took it from the bunker before we left for Canada. It's the antidote to the supernatural. "Everyone opened his eyes wide except for Scott, who took his word, approaching his best friend.

"None of us here, apart from Theo, chose to be what it is. So the first step is to give everyone a choice. Who will want can take the antidote. Same with Lisa and Alec. "Alec and Lisa looked at Scott. "You have lost your powers, but if you want, we will give you the bite. Alec will return to being a werewolf, Lisa will awaken her empathic powers. "Then Scott looked at Corey. "Unfortunately we can not make you a chimera again, but you can still become one of us, if you wish"

Corey thought about it, then looked at Mason and shook his head. "In all this, I realized that I do not need super powers to do something important. I will never stop fighting with you, but I will do it remaining human "

Scott nodded, then looked at Liam. "I do not give up. I am what I am, and I like it that way."

"Hayden?"

"I agree with Liam"

"Lydia? Nolan? "

"However I'm terrified at times, I was born with this gift, and I will use it to do good as long as I can."

Lydia nodded. "Knowing who will die will be horrible, but not if it allows me to save them"

Scott smiled then looked at Derek and Peter. "Do you need to ask?" Peter rolled his eyes.

"Jackson? Ethan? "

"Let alone if I give up that after all I've been through to get it," Jackson chuckled.

"Yeah, I vaguely remember," Isaac commented, smiling and crossing Scott's eyes. "I am with you, always"

"Malia? Kira? "

"Forget it," Malia said, incredulously.

"I struggled so much to take control of the fox, I do not give up so easily," Kira said with a little smile.

"I was sure nobody would give up. Now, I'm just wondering- "And he looked at Grace.

Grace met his gaze, and then Liam and Theo's. "Would you like it? Go back human? "Liam asked softly. She widened her eyes. Then she shook her head frantically. "Are you sure?" Liam asked, bending to her height to look her in the eye.

She nodded. "If I give up, it would be like saying I'm ashamed, it would be like admitting that those crazy guys were right to want to hurt us. I'm not a monster, right? So I can stay as I am"

Everyone smiled "Well put, little wolf," Peter commented.

"By the way, what are we going to do with her?" Asked Stiles, earning a glare from Theo. "Sorry, but it's a legitimate question"

"I want to stay with Theo and Liam," she said.

Scott looked at the two, raising his eyebrows. Theo and Liam looked at each other "She will stay with us"

"Ahh so touching, who would have thought that we would have seen Theo _father_?" Stiles placed a hand on the chimera's shoulder. "So this makes you the mother, Liam?"

Theo and Grace giggled. "I'd run away if I were you," Grace suggested, while Liam, his bright eyes, crossed Stiles', who ran away. "Come back here Stiles!" Liam exclaimed running after him, while the others laughed.

Everything was back to normal.

*

  
 

_Five years later_

"So are you ready?" Grace exclaimed, knocking on the door "We'll end up late"

Liam opened the door to her, crossing her stern gaze. "It's two hours before it," he reminded her as he turned to the mirror to try and tie the tie tightly.

"I want to get there first. Uncle Scott said that at a certain point, Uncle Stiles will surely pass out. I can not _absolutely_ miss the scene "

Liam turned slowly and caught Theo's gaze coming out of the bathroom, already in a tuxedo. "It scares me the influence you have on her," he commented.

Grace chuckled as Theo snorted. Then he approached Liam and snatched the tie from his hand. "I'll take care of it, so we can go out," he said, looking at Grace while working at the knot. "Neither do I want to miss Stiles who pass out on his wedding day"

Liam rolled his eyes. "Grace's excuse is that she's thirteen, what's yours?"

"The overpowering pleasure in holding it against Stiles for the rest of his life?"

"Great," Liam snorted, while Theo completed the knot and used the tie to pull him close, leaving a light kiss on his lips.

"Let's go?" Grace asked with a smile.

"Let's go"

  
 

  
 

Five years had passed since the battle against the hunters. After that the conflicts had been reduced more and more. There had been some single reprisal, but now the hunt for supernatural creatures was almost everywhere considered a crime. The world of the supernatural was now in the open, and even at the beginning the diffidence was spreading, little by little things began to change. Rules had been established, especially for werewolves. Alpha could only bite those who had consented to accept the bite. Killing was persecuted, just as it was in the human world. In this regard, an organization was set up to control and supervise and eventually punish supernatural creatures that violated the rules. It had been Shawn's idea, which had replaced the order of the Peacemakers. Argent, Nolan and Lisa had joined him, and of course Hayden too, gradually gaining more and more following.

Stiles had continued his career at the FBI, and Scott had inherited the Deaton clinic when he decided to retire. Now he lived with Malia in Beacon Hills. After going around the world with Peter, she decided to give up college and teach. The schools had opened specific courses for supernatural creatures, and as well as Malia in Beacon Hills high school taught combat, Theo taught control. Liam also gave himself to teaching, but he had preferred something more peaceful, like history.

Lydia after college, was hired at a major research center and now she and Stiles lived in Washington. They would return to Beacon Hills for a little while, on the occasion of their long-awaited marriage.

Mason and Corey, finished college, were back in Beacon Hills, and they lived together just outside the city. Alec was still in college, but he had decided to stay near the county, in case of need. In the end he accepted the bite, and officially became Liam's second beta

Derek and Cora had returned to Beacon Hills, and finally they had resumed ownership of the old Hale house, which they had readily rebuilt. And that they now shared together with Peter and Braeden

Jackson and Ethan had stopped a few months in Beacon Hills and then returned to their lives in London.

Argent and Melissa had married a few years ago, and even had a child, who was now two years old and had called Alice, in honor of Allison.

_Everything was fine, finally,_ he considered Liam leaving the house, since the biggest problem of Grace now seemed to be late for a wedding that would still start in a few hours.

He squeezed Theo's hand, and smiled at him as they looked at Grace, who hopped happily in front of them, with her golden curls and white dress and a toothy smile.

*

  
 

Liam would never have admitted it if it had not been for that asshole of his boyfriend who had taken a picture of him, but he had cried. He had cried when Stiles and Lydia had exchanged their promise. And he cried while all together, all their pack, gathered in front of the church, to see their triumphant exit. There was applause and hugs, Liam looked up and saw Scott crying exactly like him, hugging Stiles and then Lydia.

"Okay, are you ready?" Lydia shouted at one point. Liam sensed that she wanted to throw the wedding boquet to the girls. And he was not surprised to find that Grace was gone.

"Do not tell me that-?"

Theo chuckled "They grow up _so_ fast"

Liam laughed, squeezing Theo's hand. It was at that moment that Grace jumped at them with the boquet in her hand. "Look what I got!" she exclaimed.

"Great, now how about if we put it away until you're thirty?" Theo suggested ironically.

Grace chuckled. "Aunt Lydia says that whoever has it will be the next out to marry," she said, looking at him thoughtfully.

"Yeah, for that-" Liam said trying to catch it, but Grace jumped back, looking at them amused.

"And since Aunt Malia forbade me to marry Uncle Scott-" Theo rolled his eyes, shaking his head in amusement. _Why does everyone love Scott really?_ "-I will give it to you," Grace concluded, handing the boquet to Theo, who looked at it with wide eyes.

"And what should I do with it?" He asked lightly, taking it.

"Ask Liam to marry you," Grace said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Theo and Liam looked at each other, blushing, and then Liam looked back to Grace amused. "That's not how it actually works"

"Well ..." Theo said thoughtfully, turning to Liam, and moving his gaze from the bouquet of flowers to Liam's blue eyes. "When did we ever do something like it should be done?" He said rolling his eyes. "I mean, we met when I was trying to manipulate you to kill Scott. We came closer when you pulled me out of hell. We share our first kiss where my sister died after her ghost almost killed us all, we had our first time in the middle of a war and an apocalypse hiding in a lost quarry in Utah, and we adopted a werewolf daughter at age of 19 while we wandered around the country looking for an ancient legendary order "

"It seems pretty absurd said like that," Liam said, frowning.

"You are absurd" Grace commented "So?" She pressed them. Theo laughed.

"So ..." Theo repeated. "I guess asking you to marry me with a boquet is the least weird thing we've ever done"

Liam smiled as the hesitant Theo held out the flowers, and he slowly took them. "And I suppose sayin' yes is the least crazy thing _I_ 've ever done" he whispered, while a smile broke on the Theo face who pulled him to kiss him. Grace jumped over the place and cheered. "Hey guys" she shouted to all their friends gathered around them. "Theo and Liam will get married!"

"It was about time!" Mason shouted with shouts of exultations as everyone gathered around them.

"Okay okay, I'm glad you decided, but this is still my wedding," Lydia laughed.

"And mine too," Stiles added, raising a hand. Then he looked at them "Heck, you're going to get married, come here!" He added then thinking back and throwing himself over them, his arms around Liam and Theo's shoulders. He looked at them. "But do you remember how it started?" He asked.

"If I'm not mistaken, it was the three of us," Liam said thoughtfully.

"In the woods in the middle of the night, and you two were stalking me," Theo recalled with a smile.

"And I hated you, I remember," Stiles reflects.

"And I wanted to kill you"

"And I fell into a hole" Everyone laughed.

"Good old days," Stiles sighed. "Now what do you say if we go? Apparently there are _two_ weddings to celebrate today "

"Come on," Scott nodded, as Lydia held on to Stiles. Theo took Grace's one hand and Liam the other. And they walked home.

_It was worth it,_ Liam found himself thinking. Face all that they had faced, endure all that pain and those struggles, if they could be there, now, all together, at home, like a family, _like a pack_ , in a brave new world.

  
 

THE END

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Every_Version_Of_Me who kindly offered to correct any mistakes in the story! ^ __ ^


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